


Travail

by J-Bfan (Mysterie), JackfrostTruefrost300



Series: Mortal Guardians [16]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Betrayal, Cussing, Darkness, F/M, Family, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Love, M/M, Memory Tampering, Mind Control, Multi, Obsession, Older Jamie, Spirit Jamie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-25 13:37:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4962652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/J-Bfan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackfrostTruefrost300/pseuds/JackfrostTruefrost300
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite the charity of Jamie and Mysterie, Billy has put into motion his plan to steal Jack from them by erasing his memories and replacing them. His plan hasn't come easy though and there are obstacles standing in his way, including Jack's own children who are starting to come into their powers earlier than predicted. How will Jack and the others handle this threat?  </p><p> </p><p>sequel to Dawning<br/>[16th installment]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dark Plan

"Of course Jack. Being that they be good, no?" North replies, Billy nods though he's not all there as he is daydreaming a little about kissing Jack; replying to the voice in his head silently.

"Just a matter of time... and going slow." Jack nods.

"Of course, except Luke." Luke whines at that.

"NOOOOO!" Jack giggles and North chuckles.

"Well, if he's good I'm sure we can find  **something** for him." Jamie says as he puts the blue car back where it was intended to be while the boy is distracted. Jack yawns.

"Do you guys feel tired? I feel tired." Jack yawns and the kids look at North.

"Uncle Noth, can we go on tour of the workshop?" Brianna asks.

"Why not take nap in old room while I show them around hmm?" North suggests.

"Yeah, I'm sure North and I can handle them with Billy's help." Jack nods.

 _"Come on, it's a slow process. Now you can siphon off Jamie's energy to eliminate a couple memories... then again while Jamie's busy with the kids..."_ Jack yawns.

"Night night darlings." Billy smirks inwardly.

"Um... w-where's the bathroom?" 

"Two doors down from Jack's room. He show you, no?" North smiles. Jack nods and walks tiredly, yawning, all them unaware of the dark plan. Billy follows Jack to the level with the rooms; he sees the bathroom and walks towards it as if that is his intent. Jack groans and moans tiredly as he heads into the room and he's out like a light just as soon as his head hits the pillow. Billy waits until he's sure no one is around before slipping into the room and tiptoeing over to Jack. He stand a moment, admiring him before he remembers the spell; he is only half way through though when he stumbles back, biting his tongue to keep from crying out. Despite only targeting an old, half remembered memory the spell had been stopped and something had lashed out at him and boy did it hurt. Cursing inwardly he retreats to think, this time actually going to the bathroom. What under the sun had  _that_ been?!? Jack sucks his thumb in his sleep.

 _"It appears Mysterie put a memory protector, but even those can be broken."_  Billy grumbles to the voice.

 

 

"That will take even LONGER..." He sighs and decides to go join the other kids for now. He can do more planning back at the castle. Jack sleeps for eight hours, which is unusual and it scares North.

"Does Jack sleep eight hours a day or is it longer than thought?" He asks quietly as he gently plays with Brianna who is hanging from one of his sword sheathes.

"Considering that he hasn't gotten a lot of restful sleep lately... this is pretty normal." Jamie replies as Billy joins them. The boys are happily "testing" out some of North's newest toys for children. The voice in Billy's mind is mostly silent, but begins whispering again.

 _"Just siphon off of Mysterie, Andrew and Jamie. They'll be weakened while you're stronger for this."_ Jack wakes a few hours later, by then it's time for them to go home. Billy files that thought away for later while he tries to concentrate on putting up at least a smile to show he's not completely cowed by his surroundings and is dragged into one of the games by the boys. Jack groans, he still feels tired even after all the sleep he just got.

"Alright North, it was fun visiting but it's time to take the munchkins home." He steals the last cookie off North's plate as he was reaching for it, to eat it, and eats it. He starts to fly out lazily.

"Come on guys, bed time and maybe dinner depending if you ate already." The children groan at that but obediently climb into the basket Jamie has to carry them in. Jamie also picks up Billy when he sees Jack take off without him. Billy almost sighs, but manages not to on the way back to the castle. Jack goes to his room and falls asleep almost instantly before he even does more than climb into the bed. Billy retreats to his room to think while Jamie and Mysterie change, feed and then tuck the kids into their beds. Jamie told them a story from the past, telling them all about how he had met Jack for the first time in his life as they drift off to sleep one by one. Jack pants tiredly in his sleep as the voice siphoned off of Jamie, giving Billy an opening to go through Jack's head and to allow him to remove memories he doesn't want Jack to have. The problem with trying that though is that Billy only manages one before he's violently kicked out of Jack's head again... something is fighting each attempt Billy makes. Jack groans, whining as his head hurts.

_"Damn, guess we have to look deeper into spells to get rid of that."_

"Yeah...." Billy mutters, unaware that there isn't a spell in any library to fight off the force that had kicked him out then, but then again... he doesn't know Jack well enough to know that... Jack groans, what was that influence? He moans in annoyance the next morning, waking up feeling pained, but healthy at the same time; Billy sleeps in the next morning as his head is pounding from the result of being kicked out... He REALLY didn't want to get up.... Jack sighs.

"Morning." He says to Jamie and Mysterie before going to the bathroom to take a shower, his headache still there despite it; Mysterie sends of a 'you okay?' impression over the bond as she heads to the nursery as normal. Jack sighs.

 _"I'm fine, just something strange happened to me last night."_ He replies over the bond. She sends an impression of an inquiry as to what he means as she changes diapers and Jack sighs over the bond.

 

 

 _"_ _It felt like someone was trying to erase my memories."_ He replies tiredly. He finishes making breakfast as Brianna comes into the kitchen. 

"Dada, dada! I Wost a toof!" Jack looks down.

"Yes, yes you did. Tooth and I so proud!" She giggles while he gets a towel and decides that it won't be long before Tooth will show up. Mysterie frowns at that as she finishes changing Noah.

 _"Odd... can't imagine who would honestly. That concerns me a little, particularly with the protections in place..."_ Jack nods.

 _"Yes."_ Jack smiles as he brings Brianna back to the nursery.

"Look at this hon, she lost another one and it's as white as my own." Jack teases, she chuckles a little as she sees Brianna has indeed lost another one.

"She gonna be all gums at this rate if she keeps losing all her teeth like this. We gonna have to feed her baby food again until her teeth grow in then." Mysterie jokes back and Jack giggles.

"Yeah, what a lecture Tooth will give me for this." Mysterie chuckles and finishes changing diapers before seeing to it that the children are settled to breakfast. She glances around though when she notices that Billy hasn't come to the table.

"Huh... guess he's sleeping in." Jack smiles.

"Let's see... how about some soft oatmeal." He says as he sets Brianna in her chair, having put the tooth in a pouch for later on that night. He makes cinnamon oatmeal with blueberries; he felt better now, just having a major headache. Jamie manages to soothe a little of the headache, but the nature of it means that he can't make it go away completely as even some types of pain are beyond his power to completely numb due to their causes.

"Moatel!" Brianna chimes happily while Mysterie adds some other fruit to some of the other bowls of oatmeal for the others based on their favorites among fruit. Jack smiles and sets it down before her before he groans.

"My head. Why is it my head seems to hurt ten times worse?" 

 _"Emotions and defenses, that's easy to fix._ _"_ Billy groans at the voice.

"Keep it down will ya?" The voice sighs 'ok' and settles down into silence. Billy spends most of the day nursing his head, though he does at least come out to eat lunch before retreating. Mysterie wonders into his room at some point.

"You okay?" 

"I think I caught something... I feel like I have a cold." Billy mutters the excuse. Jack is teaching the kids their abc's when Tooth comes around.


	2. Mind Battlefield

"Hi sweetie!" Tooth greets Brianna with a smile before ruffling the hair of each of the boys; Jack smiles and whispers to Tooth as he hands her the bag that holds Brianna's tooth. 

"Of course." She smiles and hands off the coin for the tooth as she's done before, knowing that Jack will keep it safe until Brianna is old enough for it. Jack smiles back and slowly picks up some of the toys that nearly had killed him earlier when he was coming down for a snack. Tooth flutters about, keeping the children entertained for a little while as Jack moans in protest.

"God, I thought my head would stop hurting by now!" 

"Maybe you just need some more rest." Mysterie murmurs quietly. Jack sighs.

"Nah, I've been asleep too much."

"I said rest, not sleep. Maybe just curl up with a book or something." She mutters back and he sighs again.

"Fine." He goes to the library, unaware that the emotions are being pulled out one by one.

_"Slow and steady now..."_

"Do we really have to do this now? My head still hurts..." Billy grumbles.

 _"Fine, later; when you feel better and you should also be practicing powers."_ The voice responds. Jack sighs tiredly and picks out a book to read. 

"Besides, if we drain them all at once wouldn't it be suspicious if he suddenly acts like he's some sort of puppet? Let's face it, those books Andrew gave me were a real insight... those two have been through enough to be thoroughly cautious." Billy rubs his temples, why isn't his headache gone yet? The voice nods and helps with the headache; Jack sighs as he feels better suddenly. Billy sighs a little, feeling slightly better.

"As I said before... we have to take this as slowly as possible; if we don't, they'll be on to us before we can do anything... I don't want to face the Puppetmaster again thanks." The voice listens, staying silent for a bit as Billy goes on.

"He's not even the most powerful of them... Jack is, but I donno that I want to face the wrath of the Guardian of Wishes either." Billy shudders, remembering the last story of what she had done to the last one who had angered her past the point of reason. It was hard to equate the caring woman with that... but it had been in print.... and Andrew had told him the stories were true if not detailed and he shudders to think of what those stories have  **not** said... 

 

 

 _"Do not worry, it may take time but even Mysterie won't be able to stop Jack when he can't even remember her."_ Jack smiles as he pops his head into the nursery.

"Hey, I'm going to help Andrew with snow in Germany." 

"Alright." Mysterie replies with a smile. Billy nods at the voice, but that only reassures him a bit; the children gathered around as Tooth leaves. Billy doesn't know that the children have begun to notice that something isn't right. Brianna has felt it and their brother, Randy, has helped them keep their abilities masked. He is the one with the most control, for now. They seem to be playing with the stuffed toys, but Randy is quietly communicating to his siblings. 

 _Suspect. Don't like feel of this. Something happenin' to daddy but no one notice. We need find way to stop it._ Randy says over the bond they share, even Luke has that much despite not having earned his powers back; they all give silent affirmations over the bond. Noah, not yet having come into his smarts yet, only farts in response.

"Dadwe, we help dadwe." Noah says quietly; Randy nods, sending over the bond.

 _We help him. No one touches our daddy. Luke... I want you to get them to take you to Bunnie, find anything you can there. Bunnie has all sorts of stuffs. He should_ _havf somethin' you can use to help._

 _Nobody mess with_ _dada._ Brianna adds over the bond and the four nod in agreement, it is time to take action and Randy will lead them.

In Germany, Jack smiles as he comes upon Andrew and watches the other winter spirit make snow.

"Hey, need any help?" Andrew smiles when he turns and sees Jack.

"Of course, always a pleasure to watch the master at work." He replies with a grin and Jack smiles, spreading cheerful snowflakes that make people laugh and play as it snows lightly. Jack turns back to Andrew.

"Your turn." He smiles, watching a moment before floating about in the air, spreading light snow as Jack had taught him. Jack smiles.

"Look, watch this." He springs a little snow on a snowman that a group of kids had just finished building. It comes to life.

"And that's how Frosty came to be." Andrew laughs.

"Should have known." Jack smiles.

"Yep." Andrew shakes his head.

 

 

"Well, at least now I know the origin of the story. Did you follow the kids around then?" Jack rubs his neck.

"No." Memories of that story were a little personal to him because of adults, so that they wouldn't fear Jack... His eyes took a dark look and he flew off.

"Jack?" Andrew feels a little uneasy, like he's said something wrong as he follows the winter spirit who touches down at a nearby park; the area becomes colder at his presence. He doesn't move from the area, just sitting and watching the kids; Jamie, Mysterie and Andrew can sense his pain... pain and failure that ached in his heart as he remembers stories of his beginnings. How they said that he was a drowned boy from the ice who had come back to reek vengeance on those who could not save him or others about him freezing people in mighty storms. The rumors and stories hurt.

 _"Don't go out at night or you'll see Jack..."_ It was something that he'd heard often in the distant past and it made tears form in his eyes. Andrew moves over to touch his shoulder.

"Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't know it still bothered you." Jack shakes himself after a minute.

"Sorry, it's not you. I just remembered something I shouldn't have." He groans.

"Well, better get to the kids again." He flies off towards the castle, sniffling and clipped sobs can be heard over the bond.

"Well, I still am..." Andrew says as Jack flies off; he hadn't meant to drag up painful memories. Mysterie is waiting for Jack when he arrives at the castle and she gently embraces him without a word. Jack shudders, fighting his broken sobs to try and calm down but it hurts, the memories of his beginnings hurt... the stories, rumors... everything hurt. Jack sniffs while Randy is busy pointing out to his siblings over the bond that some of Jack's emotions seem dead. Mysterie simply holds him close. Luke has gone with Noah, along with Jamie, to visit Bunny; leaving Billy to watch Randy and Brianna, the lather watching Billy closely as she had not liked him on sight.

 _"We only need to take out a couple more emotions. Anger and wisdom... and Jackson, if you've heard about him, and of course mischief."_ The voice in Billy's head says.

"That's more than a couple, but yes... the others didn't put up much of a fight. I dare say the one called Jackson will give us the most trouble." Billy replies back and the voice sighs.

 _"Watch out, Brianna's watching you closely. Keep her unsuspecting."_ Jack groans as he goes upstairs, he can't stop crying because of the memories and right now he wants to be alone. He moans and groans to himself as he's given himself a headache; Jackson is busy protecting the barrier. Something is off, something bad is going to happen and he could feel it as did all his other emotions. Cecil is busy looking for the inner version of Jack to warn him; two for their number is down and Cecil scourged the areas in search of Jack while the others protected the barriers and set up their own versions as well.

 

 

To keep Billy from suspecting a thing, she stares at him with wide-eyed innocence, sucking her thumb. Jack groans, fighting off whatever it is that's hurting him while Jackson shouts before being knocked out.

"CECIL! JUST PROTECT THE BARRIER!!"

"We need Jack's help! Damn it!" Cecil yells when he realizes that Jackson is down. Micheal is fighting with all that he has, but he's soon down.

"WE CAN'T GET TO JACK! FUCK!!" Jax calls back. The force beats a retreat after Micheal falls though, Billy is getting a headache again. He can't take them all down at once apparently because of the fight they are putting up. Cecil is only slightly relieved at this as he continues his search for Jack, thinking to himself.

 _Jack... where are you?!_ Jack groans.

"What's going on? St-stop shouting." He comes from the brush nearby, he'd been in happy land with Jake. Cecil sighs a little, relieved that whatever this is hasn't gotten to Jack yet.

"Jake, you need to go the barriers with the others... Jack, I'm afraid someone has been attacking. Micheal and Jackson went down just today and we lost two others the night before." Jack gasps.

"WHAT!" He screams in fear and outrage.

"Who d-do you think it is?" 

"That's just it. We don't know. The force, whatever it is, has managed to mask the culprit; the best we can tell is that the source is somewhere nearby... how close is hard to say... but it has only taken us out in pairs so far... Jax and myself are the only ones left, besides Jake and you." Jack groans.

"I have a feeling the headache's gonna get worse soon."

"Probably. The headaches were a warning, I imagine, of the loss. Jack... you need to do something about this, soon. I don't know how long we can hold off this intruder... we kicked them out the first time, but this is the third time this week.... Whoever it is... they're persistent and they want to destroy your memories. We lost one... sort of, it was badly damaged, but we've managed to stow it away behind the barrier for repairs. It was a weak memory to begin with... but one of Jamie. It's not hard to guess what the culprit is after. The only question left is why." Jack shakes his head.

"Cecil, I can't I... ugh... I'll help when I can." He says before disappearing back into the voids of sleep. All too soon Jax sends a call.

"I'm down, goodbye cruel conscious..." 


	3. Betrayal Revealed

Cecil winces, heading back to the barriers to try and something... anything... Jake and Cecil are the only ones left now; unaware that help has just arrived in the form of a tiny stone ring that Luke dug up from Bunny's closet during his visit to the Warren. Its strange waves disrupt any telepathic energies, which scramble Billy's abilities like an upset anthill. Causing him frustration as he realizes he's lost control.

 _"Damn! What happened?! We almost had him!"_ The voice growls to Billy as Jack turns in his sleep, whining.

"I don't know! Something... is... interfering. I can't control it anymore! Damn it!" Billy rages in his room while Luke is running over to his brother, a smile on his face as Jamie is going to change a stinky Brianna. Luke shows his brother his "prize" that he's gotten from Bunny.

"Book Bunnie had said it bwock tewepatty." Luke says quietly.

"Teweaptty? Like our bond?" Randy asks and Luke nods, hiding the ring in a pocket when Jamie turns to pick him up to check and then to check Randy to see if he needs changing too. The next morning Jack looks absolutely awful and in pain as he sit s down. Brianna joins her brothers who are in the playpen.

"Dwid you welp dada?" To the adults, however, it sounded more like "goo" something. Jamie watches the children while Mysterie stands next to Jack, murmuring softly.

"Jack, are you alright hun?" Luke nods to Brianna, Randy smiles and nods; having gotten ahold of some string, Luke has strung the ring around his neck now. Billy still wonders what in the world is going on... even the voice is silent on this one. Jack nearly chokes, but manages to force out.

"Yeah, I'm f-fiiine." He slurs and nearly collapses; she sighs a little.

"You don't seem it." Jack sits back, panting.

"U-uh, h-hand me some wa-water okay?" He says breathlessly as he feels Jake fall, the ring's power only worked once and now it was all up to Cecil. Mysterie gets Jack a glass of water; Billy had found a way around the ring's power to scatter telepathy, but there is something he hasn't counted on... the kids are smart... too smart and he has been found out. The door of Billy's room swings open and the four kids are standing there. Billy blinks.

"Um... hi..." 

"Stop." Randy speaks clearly, the four are glaring at him. 

 

 

 _"Hey. You're bigger, faster, stronger than these un-potty trained kids. You can take them out easy peasy."_ The voice encourages Billy. Jack moans a quiet thanks to Mysterie for the water as she hands it to him.

"Anything else I can do love?" Jack sighs tiredly, then all at once he vomits up what appears to be a misty white fluid along with stomach acid, he cries in pain.

Billy frowns at the kids.

"Stop what?"

"Hurting our daddy." 

"Sorry kiddo, but it needs to be done." Billy smirks a little.

"You will understand when you're older."

"NO! You let him go NOWS!" Brianna says clearly as they continue to glare at him. 

 _"Let's teach these brats no means no."_ The voice growls and gives Billy more power; Billy growls and lashes out, but his eyes widen when Randy brushes it off like it is nothing. Even Jamie hadn't been able to do  **that**! Luke glares and goes to Mysterie.

"Mama! Dada being controlled bywy Billwe." He yells, pulling and tugging at her to get her to help even as Jack coughs up blood next.

"Stop... stop... it hurts." Jack cries out as Cecil is finally and forcefully shoved down, the voice itself plunging into Jack's mind to take out all of Jack's memories of her, Jamie and the kids.

"You're too late!" Billy crows in triumph only to wish he hadn't as he finds himself slammed into every wall in his room and then some. Randy's eyes glowing with power, while Mysterie wraps her arms around Jack, looking worried. Her concern turns to surprised anger as Luke's words sink in and she doesn't hesitate to delve into Jack's mind to work on fighting back Billy's power over Jack and to not only protect the barrier but help the emotions recover. Jack coughs, moaning.

"Stop... get out... please..." The memories are slowly being cut off one by one and fake memories being added to replace them. Brianna smirks as she uses the power of the fox to transform into a giant nine tailed fox to attack with icey fox fire as Jack groans.

"Get out... both of you, please... whoever you are out!!" Billy screams out, unable to maintain his connection to Jack as he has to focus on dealing with the not-so-powerless-brats before him. As he is trying to beat back the ice fire that Brianna is sending at him, Mysterie manages to fix the memories that Billy had clipped and destroyed the false ones. She retreats from Jack's mind once she has, but she's pissed; Jamie arrives in the nursery as she withdraws, alarmed.

 

 

"Take care of Jack. I have a brat to deal with..." Jamie nods wordlessly as he can see in her eyes, gleaming with the same power she had wielded when she had attacked those who had once tried to make slaves of Jack and Jamie. She strides from the room and arrives to see the children gathered around the entrance of the room. A sort of satisfied smile on her face when she realizes they have been holding Billy off rather well. Randy, Luke, Brianna and Noah back away from her, knowing that their mother is absolutely furious. Billy's eyes widen when he sees her and he suddenly realizes he is in deep shit... as silver sand curls around him and the room vanishes; the two of them flowing through her sand and out of the castle. She took him to the moon, because even he could not stretch to reach to influence Jack from such a great distance; when the sand reforms the two of them, she stands, looking down on the shaken boy with anger in her eyes. 

 _"Ok... just apologize and take off."_ The voice advices him.

"Don't even start. We trusted you. Took you in like family and you  ** _betrayed_ ** us. I'm not going to stand here and pretend that you didn't or that I don't know why."

 _"I'm tell her what for."_ The voice snaps at Billy.

 _"Tell her why, your anguish, she wouldn't even begin to understand what it feels like to be alone, unloved and loving someone; that you needed him."_ Mysterie shakes her head, having heard every word.

"We were going to help you, despite what you tried the first time Jamie met you; we were going to  _help_ you find someone. You KNEW Jack was married, you still persisted despite that we treated you like family. You think I don't know what it's like to be alone? You think I don't understand because I was once human with a family? Just like you I had family... but you know what's worse than not having one? Having one that lies. That treats you like you don't even matter." She crosses her arms and glares at Billy.

"For all their talk of 'love' they were no better than your sister there. They only said they cared, but I knew better. I KNOW what it means to want for love, to wish that there was someone there. We made you part of our family despite what you had done and we were willing to let things go, but you had to do this... You had to be SELFISH and try and take what wasn't yours. Hurting him in the process because all you could think of was  **yourself.** Did you  _never_ stop to think about Jack? About his feelings? No. That's NOT love Billy. Love is not selfish! Love is giving everything you have for someone, not wiping their memories and replacing them with your own just to get your way! Even if Jamie and I never existed, if Jack had met you under some other circumstance you STILL would not have had his affections because you'd have never had the compassion he would have needed from you. You don't have a clue what love is. I was willing to give you a chance... but now you've given me no choice but to do what I intended to do before." Back at the castle, Jack whines, shaking.

"J-jamie... w-what happened?" His emotions slowly come back to their former glory, now that they are no longer under attack.


	4. What Comes Now

"Seems Billy betrayed our trust in him. Mysterie is dealing with him... um... wow... on the moon if I'm not mistaken." Jack groans.

"W-why would he do that? I love him l-like a little brother..." His tone heartbroken. The four children gather around Jack and Jamie, concern written on their little faces.

"I don't... well... no, maybe I do. I guess despite what me and Mysterie said... he wanted you as more than a brother. That was why he kidnapped you the first time. I don't know when he first saw you... but he felt for you what I and Mysterie do and... well... I guess he couldn't accept the fact that you belonged to us." Jamie replies quietly. Jack's eyes widen, having heard from Billy all that Mysterie had said to him.

"NO! DON'T" He cries out, over the bond as well as aloud as he struggles in Jamie's grip in anger.

"DON'T PLEASE!!" Billy and Mysterie can hear his please over the bond, despite the distance. Mysterie winces a little, but the boy has given her no choice. Her hand glows gently as she sets it on the boy's head and Billy falls unconscious; he wouldn't feel a thing. She did what anyone with a heart would do... she simply did what Billy had intended for Jack. She erased the memories of them all and what his sister had done to him; keeping only the memories he needed for survival. She then leaves his fate to Manny, knowing likely that he will take care of the boy. Jack groans.

"No... w-why?" Jack fights fruitlessly in Jamie's arms.

"LET ME GO!" Jamie releases him.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way Jack." Jack cries, not wanting to look at anyone or anything; he runs outside, not yet recovered enough to fly he just runs into the woods near the castle. He trips a little as he runs, but he continues all the same. Jamie sighs as Mysterie returns to the castle with a heavy heart; she had truly wanted to help the boy, but he had made his choice and forced her hand just as Luke had forced Mother Nature to take his powers. The children had been celebrating their little victory only to feel guilt at having to do that to Billy, who had been like their big brother and had hurt Jack in the process. Five weeks pass and Jack still hasn't come home, the kids sorely miss him. Jamie goes after Jack while Andrew and Mysterie watch the kids.

"I feel bad for them both... I mean... Jamie was the one who brought him here. That has to be hard on him. To have thought to take him under his wing like Jack did with me only to be betrayed... I can't imagine how bad either must feel." Mysterie only nods.

Jack is in the woods, it's pitch black with stray Nightmares that surround him. He pets a few, not afraid, but they only nip at his fingers as he feeds them his regret, anger, and silent fear. He's created a bonfire while he was at it with a flick of his fingers after gathering a bit of sticks; he cries silently near it. Jamie says nothing when he finally finds Jack; pushing aside a nightmare to settle on the edge of the camp. What can he say? It was his fault... he'd brought the boy into the castle.

 

 

Jack growls suddenly, throwing ice at the Nightmares around him.

"IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!!" He screams, angry tears falling now.

"If they just gave him another chance... had him talk to me... I could have sorted everything fucking out! THEN SHE HAD TO- TO..." He smashes his fist into a nearby tree in his anger, there is a crack and the tree falls. Jamie winces, but says nothing; there is no comforting this anymore than there had been reasoning with Billy or his sister. It wasn't for a lack of trying... he knew that, but knowing it wasn't a comfort for him anymore than to Jack. Jack glares at the Nightmares who start to back away as he screams in anger, letting out his elements on the area around him; causing a tornado and a massive storm, it slams Jamie hard into a tree and vines strangle any living creature nearby except Jack and Jamie. Jack finally has noticed his presence there and only tosses him away; Jamie winces at being slammed into the tree, but he returns to the edge of the campfire.

"Is that really why you are mad or is it something else?" He asks softly after a moment of silence. Jack shakes, just standing as he breathes heavily for a while then shakes his head.

"Like you would understand... like you would know what it's like to survive alone... no family, nothing." He glares, cracking his knuckles.

"No. I suppose I don't... but you're not the only one hurt. Not the only who feels angry, hurt, betrayed..." Jamie replies quietly. Jack holds himself tense for a moment, but having used all that energy he collapses next to the fire as it goes out. He has no energy to keep it going and blood seeps from his noise and some small cuts he's sustained from letting loose the raw power as he had. He groans, fighting the unconsciousness trying to steal over him.

"No... I c-can't sleep. I d-don't deserve it... I-i can't..." Jack moans weakly, trying to get up; he struggles to get up but he can't because he currently has nothing left. Jamie moves over to him and sets his head in his lap; soothing his pain and murmuring softly.

"Stop torturing yourself over something you could not control." He lovingly brushes strands of hair from Jack's face and dabs away the blood, with a cloth he has on him, with infinite care and gentleness. Jack whines only sniffling and crying into Jamie's stomach, as it is the closest thing there; crying out his pain, fears, memories, and worries in his sobs. Jamie says nothing, simply stroking his back gently in comfort while Mysterie is comforting the children and reassuring them that Jamie would bring Jack home. 

"I'm not going back J-Jamie." Jack groans tiredly, but he can't say anything more as he finally succumbs to his exhaustion. Everything around them is now eerily silent as it seems even more devoid of life than it is when Jack is asleep. Mysterie sighs a little when Jamie repeats what Jack had said. After a moment she tells him what she thinks though he disagrees as he watches over Jack's dreams; any Nightmares that dare come close are purified by a spell Jamie sets up. Wanting to speak with Jack some more, Jamie slips into his dreams; he finds Jack sitting in a bubble under water, watching dolphins that swim by.

 

 

It took Jamie a little searching before he did find Jack, he gently touches the bond to speak after a moment; a little uncertain.

 _"Jack?"_ For a few minutes Jack doesn't speak, but when it seems like he isn't going to say anything in return, he does.

"You know, I was going to take him to great places; show him to everyone, give him friends. I wanted to have him fill the void in my heart of my sister, but I guess I can't. Like you and Mysterie, and the kids and Andrew did... but I guess that tiny piece of my heart will never be filled." He stares into the pure blackness and terrifying fish of all sorts swim about.

"Jack... you can't ever replace someone in your heart. No matter how much you try. Believe me... I know. I tried so many times when I was still human... it just doesn't work." Jack sniffs, standing up and walking away.

"It just hurts too much." He says before a wall covers Jamie's path and keeps him from following him. Jamie sighs and retreats from the dream, knowing he probably can't find Jack in his own dream if he doesn't want to be. He spends the rest of the night just ensuring that he doesn't have nightmares. Even for all his attempts, however, some still slip in and Jack would sometimes scream out in pain in his sleep.

"NOO! I'M SORRY! NO!!" Jamie sighs, spending the night destroying each Nightmare as it comes; they are many and he would be exhausted by the time the sun's rays began fluttering across the land, but that doesn't stop him. Jack awakes with a scream full of painful failure, he shudders, crying a little as he is trying to get his heart to stop beating rapidly. Jamie gently rubs Jack's side, murmuring quiet reassurances. Jack quivers and cries into Jamie's chest, clinging to him as if he would disappear on him if Jack let go. Jamie holds Jack close, murmuring softly.

"It's alright. It was just a dream." Jack shivers.

"No, it wasn't... it was real." Jack cries out in his sobs; he clings tighter and tighter, almost ripping into Jamie's skin. Jamie ignores the pressure he feels, murmuring softly.

"Jack, it was just a dream. I assure you, maybe it was a memory too but it was nothing more than that. It's time you let go. To stop carrying this guilt you have for things that have been done or not done." He murmurs, gently brushing away the tears.

"The past is the past. What is important is that we learn from our mistakes." Jack winces.

"I-i can't... I promised I wouldn't forget these mistakes." Jamie sighs.

"Just because you let go of the guilt doesn't mean you forget." He gently cups Jack's face as his eyes meet Jack's.

 

 

"I made a lot of mistakes with you in the past. Things I should have said, should have done but never did. I haven't ever forgotten them and I probably never will, but that doesn't mean I let the guilt of it influence me either. You shouldn't let the past guilt influence you now. Learn from it, yes, but don't let it do this. It's not good for you and it's not fair to anyone else either to have to be measured that way because you don't want to repeat mistakes you've made." Jack shudders.

"J-Jamie I..." He clings to Jamie, it calms him but at the same time the guilt eats at him like rabid wolves; Jamie gently cradles him close.

"Don't let the guilt rule you Jack. We all make mistakes, none of us is perfect no matter how long we've lived. Haven't the Guardians been proof of that? They lived for hundreds of years before you came along and they still made the mistake of leaving you alone." Jack shivers.

"Y-yeah." He shivers again and sniffles.

"I can't help it Jamie, it hurts. It hurts so damn much."

"I know, the past can hurt. It can hurt a lot... it can stir up hatred or jealousy... or any number of things... but only if you let it." Jamie murmurs gently. Jack coughs.

"Jamie, I-i want to go home now. Please." Jack whimpers, not liking how silent the forest is being. Jamie gently picks Jack up into a bridal style hold and summons the southern wind as he cradles Jack close and heads back to the castle. He goes through the window to Jack's room and sets him on the bed; Jack slowly falls asleep yet again as his emotions slowly heal him, but he can't handle the guilt at the moment. Jamie stays close and lets Mysterie know that they are back, but that it is probably best to not allow the children near Jack until he is ready to see them on his own; wanting to give him more time to heal. Mysterie sends the indication of a nod along the bond in return. She is keeping the children entertained in the nursery; despite that the children are only a year old they seem like they are at least three and she changes Randy's diaper while entertaining the others with various images with her sand and telling a story with it. It's two hours before Jack wakes again and he doesn't eat or talk as he doesn't feel like he deserves it; he slowly is turning to drastic measures of forcing himself to let go. Jamie doesn't force Jack to talk, but he does insist on getting him to eat... even if he only manages a little of it. Jack doesn't and won't eat at all though. Jamie ends up feeding Jack while he's asleep... which is rather tricky actually and while Jack doesn't talk he does manage to feed him bits and pieces at times. He doesn't leave Jack's side for a moment though. At times Jack would groan in his sleep, just making it easier for Jamie to feed him as he slept; when awake he sits in the room for days on end, not once visiting anyone or going out in the day light. The children know he's home and they want to see him really bad but Mysterie keeps them away, though that doesn't stop them from trying until Jamie effectively gets rid of the door to keep them out of the room itself. Jamie does what he can to destroy the Nightmares as they come, not sleeping himself as he watches over Jack. Jack sighs tiredly and heads to the bathroom, purposely hurting himself with the hot water that comes out into the sink. Sensing it after a few seconds, Jamie pulls Jack from the water and shuts it off. He numbs Jack from the pain, healing what he can as he gently prods him back to the bed. Jack lays in the bed, just starting at the wall; half a month passes and Jack has still not left the room.


	5. After Effects

"Jack." Jamie murmurs, trying again to get some response; he's been trying every few days or so, but like before Jack doesn't respond. He only stares straight at the wall. Jamie sighs and lightly runs a hand along Jack's side in a gesture of gentle comfort; he misses talking with him. Jack refuses to eat as well, only to be fed while he's asleep; sometimes he throws it up and he cries himself to sleep as the demon nightmares refuse to leave him alone. It is madness and Jack knows he's going to break soon and that if he does he would likely try killing himself. He doesn't want to do that, but it's like trying to say no to a puppy who wants a piece of a cookie. Jamie stays with Jack, visiting the dreams and chasing away or destroying the Nightmares each and every time they come; he never complains, only offers comfort and love each time as he tries to pull him from the guilt each time. It's only getting worse and Jamie knows it, he also knows that pretty soon Jack would hurt himself or worse... attempt suicide. It starts the very next morning as Jamie wakes to an empty bed to find that Jack is trying to drown himself, though it isn't working because his body keeps freezing the water before he can even manage to dunk himself in. Jamie gets rid of anything in the room that can possibly be used to hurt himself with as he pulls Jack out of the bathroom again, leaving the frozen water where it is. Jack sniffs.

"Jamie let go." It's the first words he's spoken in months, his voice is like gravel from disuse. 

"Not happening. You're wasting your time and I'm not going to let you hurt yourself." It was the most Jamie has spoken to him outside of a dream in the months they've spent in the room together. Jack whines, instead he tries holding his breath; his face turns various shades and Jamie sighs, knowing that wouldn't do anything more than his attempt to drown himself. A spirit really doesn't need to breathe... so Jamie just waits until Jack realizes the futility of it. It is hard to kill a spirit and suffocation isn't one of the ways to do it. Jack whines angrily as he decides that slamming his head into the wall would work better, that he'd be killed by brain damage.

"Please, please... I don't want to live." Jamie tugs him from the wall, slipping his arms around Jack and settling with him on the bed, not letting go. Jack struggles and whines; his voice is back but he doesn't want to talk, he wants to die as the guilt has finally broken him. Jamie doesn't say a thing, simply holding him; Jack grunts and yells, biting Jamie as well.

"JUST LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Jack screams, kicking out; Jamie doesn't bother responding, instead he simply nips at Jack's neck gently for no reason if only because he can before he rests his head against Jack. Jack bites Jamie deeply enough to finally get him to let go, he breaks the mirror in the bathroom and slits his wrists in hopes that all the blood would drain out from him. Jamie gets rid of the mirror and the shards and anything else he might be able to break while Mysterie's sand appears to mend the cuts on both of them. Jack whines, attacking the sand itself and cutting his skin with his teeth and nails. The sand simply repairs the new damage while she and Andrew keep the children distracted from the fact that Mysterie has been keeping them from sensing Jack's distress or anything about him. Jamie sighs a little but moves to grab him again gently; Jack flips out and Jamie asks Mysterie to send enough sand to put Jack under for a while. She sighs along the bond in reply but she sends the sand. Jack cries and struggles, fighting the sand tooth and nail.

"NO! I WON'T SLEEP! I WON'T!!" He struggles, the sand isn't working as nothing is calming him down. Jamie adds his power to the sleep sand to increase its influence tenfold. Something he's never done before and hates to do but it seems necessary at this point. Jack screams as slowly the sand works its magic, he fights less and less, slowly going limp.

 

 

"No... No... I wish to d-die..." It's the last thing he says before sleeps overtakes him.

"We can't allow it... for so very many reasons..." Jamie murmurs softly. Sometime later Jack wakes up, struggling to get up, immediately he feels the pain hit him, the pain of the guilt and everything; he struggles in Jamie's arms, trying to free himself.

"LET GO! PLEASE LET GO!!" 

 _"I can't do that Jack. For your own sake if nothing else obviously."_ Jamie replies gently over the bond, Jack whines and struggles more and more.

"LET GO!!!" Jack bites Jamie in the same spot as the previous wound he'd inflicted on him, but Jamie doesn't feel it at all as he's deadened the area. Jack cries loudly, struggling all the more; he kicks and screams for hours, trying to free himself. He pants as he loses energy in the struggle, but he still tries half heartedly as now he has no more strength left. Jamie keeps Jack close despite it all and his own flagging energy; the only reason he is able to keep Jack close is because Mysterie is transferring energy to him when Jack sleeps or is calm enough. She doesn't visit him herself if only because of the children but she sends gentle caresses over the bond every chance she gets no matter how tired she is. The boys are a lot quieter most days and Brianna barely says two words sometimes; they had figured things out and she constantly has to reassure them it isn't because of them. Jack shivers, the energy in him has been wavering now, another half month has passed and he's simply shutting down, which he's grateful for. The energy that keeps him alive is fading and he is looking less and less like his usual self.

"Soon I won't have to fight anymore." He smiles gently as he goes unconscious, more power draining from him as he fades a little more. Jamie shudders because he knows.... even though no one else has picked up on it. On the rare occasion Jack is still, but not asleep, he slips into the realm of dreams to weep. Too exhausted to cry in the waking world. He stays by Jack's side though, the longer it goes on the worse it is for him. Jack coughs up blood occasionally in pain, he knows he doesn't have much time left. One evening it is simply too much and Jamie simply vanishes; Mysterie ventures into the room, leaving Andrew to care for the kids as she moves to Jack's side. She's tired, but she cleans Jack up and settles next to him in silence. Jack winces tiredly, feeling so close to death. MiM's light glows on Jamie in his retreat.

 **Do not give up young one. Jack is not to leave this world yet; you just need to send him on the right path.**  A bottle appears near Jamie, it has a special sort of liquid inside.

 **This will clear his head of any troubles and is useful as a command agent to command Jack into anything as a last resort. Farewell Jamie, take care of my son. You are like a son to me as well.** With that the glow leaves and Jamie grimaces. He is tired beyond belief and simply passes the bottle to Mysterie with what strength he has left before he passes out in the ice home he's retreated to in one last hope that the cavern made a home would have provided an answer. Mysterie looks at the bottle then at Jack; with a shrug she tips the bottle into his mouth. Jack groans groggily.

 

 

"What..." He spits it out almost immediately. She forces him to drink it, keeping him from spitting it out again; Jack struggles, choking slightly.

"STMMM!" Jack struggles against it but she makes sure Jack gets it down, perfectly determined for the moment... but then again she's had to deal with the children for the last few months with almost no help. Getting Jack to drink this was cake walk. Jack coughs, holding his throat.

"What..." He coughs again. "did you g-give me?" He looks at her with pained tears.

"No idea, but Jamie sent it." Jack coughs, whining as he heads to the bathroom to immediately throw up the stuff; he manages that but it's not enough to get rid of the magical properties. He groans as he comes back into the room.

"My head... why does it hurt s-so much?" His eyes glow a silvery white a moment and his mind clears.

"What was I talking about?" He sniffs himself.

"I smell like hell... Mysterie, what happened!" 

"You wanted to know why your head hurt... which I've no answer for. As for the smell... well you've been in this room for nearly half a year now... and that's the GOOD part of it." Jack freezes.

"I what?" Jack shakes.

"WHY WOULD I DO THAT?! WHY!! WHERE'S JAMIE?!!!" She sighs a little.

"We're not entirely sure... though I can imagine what the trigger was. As for Jamie, I don't know; he disappeared some hours ago in a last ditch effort to find something to snap you out of it. I'd say he succeeded... but I haven't had any contact with him over the bond for the last month or so." Jack shivers and quivers, it's like touching cobwebs as he touches the bond to Jamie.

 _"Jamie... I'm here now. I... I'm back... I'm sorry."_ He says quietly and carefully; Jamie doesn't respond, but it's only because he's completely out.

"You know, if we were stuck in one of those shows I used to watch... he'd definitely have the element for loyalty by this point." Mysterie says thoughtfully.

"Anyway, I'm going back to the children before they decide to take out their tantrums on Andrew." She leaves the room the same way she had entered, by becoming sand since there's no door in the room and only a very small window. Jack whines, holding his head as it hurts horribly.


	6. Beginning of Recovery

"Why me? Why did I j-just shut down like that? Why was I so guilt ridden in the first place?" As Jack tries to remember his head just throbs in pain, Jack gives that up but he keeps trying to talk to Jamie; he isn't giving up so easily. Eventually he manages to enter Jamie's dreams.

"Jamie." Jamie is asleep, even in his own dreams; it is simply how exhausted he is from the last five months. Jack is worried as he slowly lays besides the sleeping Jamie in his dreams and only wishes to be next to him, Mysterie, and the kids in life.

"I promise I will never shut down like that ever again. I swear it." It's two full days before Jamie's dream form stirs and he actually dreams of something; it's an old memory of the sledding adventure he'd had as a child. The adult simply watches the child version of himself run from the former bully before taking off on what had been the sled ride of his young life. Jack has curled around Jamie in his sleep for those two full days, he stirs as Jamie does.

"J-Jamie." It's all he says tiredly before waking up. Jamie's physical body isn't ready to wake yet, too exhausted from the exertion of mental, physical and magic. The adult dream form simply watches the memory, though he smiles a little as he watches it, able to dream Jack next to the younger version simply based on what Jack has told him of that day that Jack had remembered. Jack is worried for Jamie but also smiles as he sees the memory.

"You still remember?" He asks gently, tears falling.

"I almost forgot that day." The dream adult turns at the voice, a slight smile tugs at his lips; despite the fact that his dream self still looks incredibly exhausted.

"Of course I do. I always will. It was the beginning of what would be our first meeting." Jack hugs him.

"I p-promise I won't forget this kiddo." He strains as his body lacks the nutrients to keep him alive and he falls apart instantly.

"J-Jamie, I... I'm sorry."

"Just get better." It's the last thing Jamie's able to say before Jack disappears from the dream. Mysterie sighs, she's not surprised that Jack over did it as before he had been well. Jack whines tiredly, he can't stay up much longer as his body has finally hit its limit. Andrew comes into the room to see that Jack's comfortable while Mysterie takes care of the kids. Jack sleeps for a couple days, eating when he needs to; Andrew spends time telling Jack about various things that he's missed out on. He doesn't mention Billy or Jamie in anything. Jack smiles.

"Wow, I got a lot to catch up on then." He says tiredly, his eyes have started to shine like usual. Andrew simply smiles in response to that. Jack sighs.

 

 

"Can I see my little munchkins?" Jack asks delicately, ready for the company; Andrew is thoughtful at that.

"Don't see why not." Andrew sends Mysterie a message and she nods, sending over Luke and Randy first while she's finishing up feeding Noah and Brianna their snack. Randy seems a little more subdued than usual when he climbs up on the bed after his brother. Jack smiles.

"Hey kiddos, being good to mama?" The two nod.

"Been good. We loss our first tooth." Luke says, Jack smiles.

"You did that! Means you're growing up and you know what else, you'll get money from Tooth, but keep them nice and sparkly!" Randy smiles a little, Luke beams happily; neither ask where Jamie is, though Randy glances at Andrew with the silent question in his eyes but Andrew shakes his head. Only MiM knows where Jamie is.

"We will. Pomise!" Jack smiles.

"Alright." Jack starts to get an itch, like he was supposed to see Jamie but he doesn't see him.

"Mum says we gotta take nap now." Luke says after a moment and the two boys hug Jack before they are whisked away by the sand to be replaced by Brianna and Noah who climb onto the bed and hug him hello. Jack smiles and hugs them back.

"Hello little ones, and how is your day?" Both of them smile.

"Good." They chime at the same time, causing Jack to smile; he coughs for a moment in pain as the nutrients that are still settling into him.

"Are you-" Noah begins.

"feelin' sick daddy?" Brianna finishes and Jack sighs.

"Nothing for you two to worry about okay? Why don't you two go help mommy with dinner okay?" He says gently, the two nod and disappear into sand. Jack sighs, he's worried about Jamie too but slowly he lays back down; he needs to get well, for Jamie. Andrew smiles a little.

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. He can take care of himself well enough." There is sort of a double meaning in the words, but Andrew doesn't elaborate; not that he feels he needs to before he settles down next to a pile of books and picks one up. Jack nods.

 

 

"Y-yeah." He also sense an empty feeling, it hurts.

"I feel so empty...?"

"Yeah... you'll likely feel that for a while. Um... it's not something I'm supposed to talk about." Andrew replies a little hesitantly from behind the book he's opened. 

"Why's that?" Jack asks tiredly, slowly falling asleep again but his stomach rumbles, halting his descent to sleep. Andrew shrugs a little.

"Orders. I don't question 'em, I just follow." Jack nods.

"God I'm hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in months."

"You literally haven't." Andrew says as he closes his book and sets it to one side.

"Supper's ready. I'll be back." He disappears in a puff of snowflakes then reappears with a plate for Jack and himself. Jack almost gags.

"What?! Why?! What's wrong with me!!" Andrew sighs a little.

"We don't know. Well... Mysterie might, but I've no clue. I wasn't around when it all began and she only just called me in when Jamie left a couple of days back. He's been with you this whole time... well, up until most recently." Jack shudders.

"Is he okay? I t-talked to him in my d-dreams. Is he ok!" Jack keeps asking question after question.

"Sorry, but you'd have to ask Mysterie about that. I haven't heard from him since I got here." Jack nods, shivering.

"Is it cold to you in here? I am usually the one that brings it b-but I'm f-f-freezing!" Jack shivers more as he really feels cold. Andrew shakes his head.

"I should probably get her..." He disappears in a puff of snowflakes. Mysterie appears a few minutes later and gently wraps Jack up, heating the blanket slowly.

"You still need rest." Jack whines.

"Mysterie, do you k-know w-where Jamie went?" Jack asks, teeth chattering.


	7. Bump

"No. I don't. He didn't tell me where he was going. I only felt his intent to leave and called Andrew to watch the kids when I felt him leave the castle. I haven't heard from him. The only time he contacted me was when he sent the bottle. All he said was 'Give this to Jack.' I haven't heard anything since." Jack whines.

"I-I got t-to go find h-him." Jack starts to pull away the covers to find Jamie; he doesn't care if he dies trying, nothing was going to stop him from finding him... almost nothing. Mysterie pulls him back into the bed and gently but firmly keeps him there.

"No. You are staying put. You aren't going to leave this room until you have recovered enough to override his power on the castle to bring back the door and the window." Jack struggles.

"LET GO!! I GOT TO FIND J-JAMIE!!" Jack coughs, struggling, hurt but he is willing to burst the wall open to free himself and find Jamie. She easily pins him to the bed with sand that warms slightly to help warm him up.

"No." Jack struggles.

"LET GO! LET GO!!!" Jack screams over and over again as he struggles against the sand, pulling this way and that; hours later he has yet to stop fighting, not even the sand to put him to sleep works. She sighs, not having left the room.

"It's for both of your benefits because what would be the point of him going to so much trouble to try and save you only for me to release you and you end up dead looking for him? He'd never forgive me and goodness knows he can't stand living if you're gone." She says after a moment when Jack finally stops screaming long enough for her to speak while he catches his breath. Jack shakes, weakly coughing and panting for air, looking at the ceiling as all he can hear is ocean rushing in his ears before he simply goes limp. She sighs a little, knowing this isn't the end of things and she's not wrong. A few weeks later find Jack tied down to the bed as he's tried to escape several times; Andrew spends time with the kids and Mysterie lets Jack out of the binds of Andrew's ice after a few more days to see what he will do. Aware that he could have freed himself if he was well enough. She just watches to see how well fortified Jamie has made this room, knowing it won't be so simple as just blowing a hole in one wall. Jack, now free, rubs his raw wrists as he'd made them bleed several times while he was too weak to free himself. He breathes in and out, looking at the wall he calls the strongest fire power he has and, yelling a battle cry, fire explodes from his core towards the wall. It cracks, making him hopeful of exploding it except that the wall not only holds, it slowly repairs itself. Mysterie sits on the edge of the bed as she watches. Jack snarls in anger and uses all the power in him; ice against ice, earth, fire and air.... he breathes heavily as the smoke clears. He smiles, hoping and praying that it worked, Mysterie raises an eyebrow as Jack's managed to scorch it and leave scratches. Jack screams in anguish, causing a mini earthquake in the entire house; the ceilings groan with the strain against his power as he collapses to his knees in frustration and cries. She moves over to Jack even as there's a faint voice over the bond.

 _"You're making a lot of noise over there."_  

 _"J-Jamie."_  He speaks quietly, nervous and yet inside he's brimming with worry, fear, and absolute joy to hear him.

 

 

 _"Hmmm?"_ Comes the faint, tired reply; Jack feels tears begin to fall.

 _"I j-just wanted to f-find you. I feel empty. I want to s-see you."_ Jack sniffs, tears falling like twin rivers. A soft sigh filters through the bond.

 _"Don't concern yourself with that. I'm fine... just very tired."_ Jack whines.

 _"O-okay."_ He sniffles, he just wants to be with Jamie. The impression of a smile flits across the bond along with a last few words.

 _"I'll be home when I can. Promise."_ Jack sighs tiredly and goes silent, his body needing to recharge again; Mysterie tucks him into the bed. Jack snores so loudly in his sleep that the vibrations shake the house a little. Luke tosses mud at Randy as he and the other kids are playing in the garden.

"WUKE! NO FWAIRS!" 

"No throwing mud or I'll have to tell your daddy about it when I go see him next time." Andrew says, he is allowing the kids to play in the mud only because kids would be kids and kids love to get dirty... plus they'd get a bath later. Luke throws mud in Andrew's face as Brianna plops mud pies on her brothers' heads; Noah is just being Noah as he plays with his toes before trying to eat a bug. Andrew keeps him from eating the bug before freezing the mud around Luke to keep him from throwing more.

"Brianna no! Mud pies are NOT to dump on your brothers!" He says even as he freezes the mud off himself. She giggles, suddenly speaking a few words in Japanese. Andrew absently scolds her back in Japanese without a second thought; she pouts and waddles away while Luke is now trying to throw frozen mud. Andrew sends a couple of the frozen mud slices back at Luke while redirecting others. Luke giggles and throws more and more. Jack groans as he tiredly wakes up, he sits up as there's a crash as the window shatters suddenly and he's hit by the frozen mud.

"Check please." He says and then passes out. Mysterie appears in the garden, glaring at Luke.

"Luke FROST!" She is very unhappy, Luke quivers in fear before hiding in the garden somewhere rather quickly as he's fast on his feet. She easily finds him though, he's her child after all;she drags him from the mud and swats him for it before dragging him inside for his bath.

"You do NOT throw mud! Your father is going to have words to say once he regains consciousness from your ill-aimed throw young man!" Luke cries as he struggles to be free; Mysterie says nothing more as she gets him cleaned up and sets him in the nursery before helping Andrew round up the others and get them bathed as well. Luke pouts angrily in the nursery and Jack wakes up sometime later.

 

 

"W-what happened... my head..." Andrew is holding a chunk of ice to his head.

"Um, you got hit with a chunk of frozen mud curtesy of your eldest son." Jack groans.

"I'm giving the boy 30 minutes time out, no toys, nothing... maybe for two days." He says and Andrew nods a little.

"Well, when you feel better you can let Mysterie know. She's setting them down for their naps currently." Jack nods.

"God, when does pain ever stop..." His stomach growls hungrily, making him blush.

"I wouldn't have an answer for you on that score. Although I did think ahead about lunch." Andrew points to the nightstand where one of Jack's favorite sandwiches is waiting for him next to a glass of water. Jack smiles at that.

"Thanks." He slowly eats his sandwich has his head is like a drum or something, it hurt; Andrew smiles a little, floating above him to hold the ice pack to his head while he eats. Jack sighs and then yawns.

"Man, w-why am I so low on energy? I feel like I can't even stand."

"Well, you spent five months doing nothing but trying to destroy yourself... kinda takes it out of a spirit to go that far. It'll be a while before your power re-centers itself again." Jack feels guilty for that.

"Why did I do that?"

"I can't answer that one. Off-limits." Jack looks at Andrew with an irritated frown.

"Why not?" 

"Beats me. As I said before... orders. I just listen." Jack glares at the floor.

"I will find out even if it kills me."

"I wouldn't pry too much if I were you Jack... it was the reason you were the way you were after all... You were pretty mad at Mysterie too for a few weeks. Wouldn't come back to the castle for several weeks, Jamie ended up bringing you back." Jack shakes his head.

"Well, she'll tell me soon." He says tiredly but he forces himself to stay awake as he looks outside. Andrew sighs a little, shifting with Jack so he can keep the pack on the bump on his head.


	8. Nymphs Again

"Why do you want to know so badly the thing that hurt so much the first time? At least answer that please." Jack sighs.

"I just have to know why I did that to myself." 

"I guess I can understand that... but... what if knowing just sends you back where you started? Do you really think any of us wants to go through that again?" Jack shudders.

"I promise i-it won't happen. Please, I have to know!"

"Sorry, but orders are orders. It's not up to me to tell you." Jack groans and falls to the floor since he's not able to walk yet; Andrew helps him back into the bed again. 

"I hate this, I wanna be able to walk about on my own!!" Jack whines like a child.

"Yeah, I know. It sucks." Jack cries a little and Randy suddenly comes into the room and pops a pacifier into his mouth; Jack sucks for a moment.

"Randy! Honestly..." Jack suckles on it, calming down as Randy pats his hair.

"Der der dada, sweep." Jack falls asleep while Andrew just gapes. Randy teleports out of the room, leaving Jack there as he suckles on the binky.

"Um... well then..." Andrew mutters before settling down to read a book. He vows to himself he is  _never_ going to reveal what he's just seen to anyone... ever. Jack wakes up, spitting the binky out.

"What the hell?!" Andrew ignores the comment as he tries to concentrate on his book; Jack looks outside, saddened that he can't even go flying. The days slowly tick by, Jack whines and some nights Randy would just stick a binky into Jack's mouth and tell him to sleep; Andrew makes a mental note to not get on Randy's bad side when the little one gets older... There is no doubt he'd be truly powerful... hasn't he already proven that? Jack sniffles and it is Luke this time in the bed with him; he feeds Jack a cookie... or two... then tells him to sleep. Andrew watches the little one, wondering if Randy let him in since Luke still hasn't gotten his powers back yet.

"Influential that one..." He mutters. Brianna comes in a little later, slapping Andrew for no foreseeable reason except that it meant for him to get out. Andrew winces but frowns at her.

"Dont' do that again, and I'm not leaving; you want to take it up with someone go talk to your mom." She glares at Andrew, it's like a command that echoes in Andrew's head. Andrew struggles against the power; it takes a moment before he succeeds... but he only does so because Mysterie interferes with a growl into her mind.

 

 

 _"Brianna Frost you leave him be! You do NOT use your powers like THAT young lady!"_ She huffs, Randy and Brianna appear in the room; the two children glaring at the fake as only they have noticed the difference.

"Wait a minute..." Andrew stares at the two of them then looks at the fake, wondering suddenly how another got in when he realizes the first is a fake. The fake giggles and while Jack sits up, still trying to process what's going on, he's whisked away to another dimension. With a scowl, Randy follows the nymph while Mysterie's trying to figure out where the heck Randy just went while Andrew does his best to explain. Jack groans, he's in pain still from the previous events and now he finds himself shackled and naked. Randy manages to find a blanket and tosses it over Jack; he doesn't know what this is about but he doesn't like it. Although he is having a bit of trouble with the shackles as he can only control so much of his power. 

"Randy." Jack murmurs.

"THIEF!!" The nymphs hiss and screech as they throw him into a cage.

"NO! LEAVE MY SON ALONE!" Jack screams out as they re-chain him to a table, he arches and struggles to get off to get to Randy who growls and burns the cage.

"You the thief! Give back my daddy!" No matter what they try, he keeps getting gout of all the traps they lay for the boy and eludes them; he manages to free Jack from one shackle before they get close again to try and put him in another cage. He teleports out of their grasp. They growl in frustration and decide that the only way to be rid of him is to kill him.

"RANDY! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Jack yells as he frees his other arm only to feel a wave of dizziness come over him and a voice speaks in his head.

 _Stay with uss. We love you. Stay with us. They don't want you around._ Jack grunts, too weak to fight it he slips into unconsciousness. Randy ignores their voices as he dodges their attempts; he is more slippery than they have expected and several of them have managed to kill each other instead; another shot of magic misses him and instead hits one of the shackles. He bounces around the room like it's some great game. As Jack is unconscious, the magic of the nymphs seeps into him as they turn him with their magic.

"He's almost ready." One says, hearing this makes Randy mad and he sets them all on fire suddenly before going over to Jack and tugging him from the last of the shackles. He teleports away with Jack... though he isn't sure where he's landed the two of them exactly... it was just... AWAY from the nymphs. Jack's only thought is of the nymphs when he comes to again because of the spell.

"Forget them? Who are they?" His mind had made him forget Jamie, Mysterie and the kids.

"Daddy?" Randy clings to him, it's several minutes before Mysterie manages to track the two of them down as Randy has made it all but impossible to be found except for the fact that she's bonded to Jack, which makes it possible. It took her a few minutes to cast the spell to let her actually cross to where Randy has taken the two of them. Jack jumps.

 

 

"Who are you people!!" He doesn't even recognize his own child, let alone Mysterie.

"Easy Jack. We won't hurt you. In fact, I brought you something you might want." She hands him some spare clothes, trying not to roll her eyes... what was it lately with spirits and memory spells? At least this one she had been able to sense and could over ride easily, but the problem was she needed to touch Jack in order to do so and the clothes sort of gave her the excuse for the brief hand touch she has in mind that would allowed her to dispel the stupid attempt. Jack looks at the clothes then back at her, then at the clothes; then at Randy and back at her. This exchange went on for several moments before he takes the clothes and puts them on; she discreetly manages to touch his hand and dispels the memory blocking spell of the nymphs when she gives him the pants before she picks up Randy, murmuring soothingly to him.

"Don't fuss dear, it will be okay." Randy sniffs, looking at Jack.

"Randy, why are you crying?" Jack looks at the two of them, worried.

"Why am I naked?!!"

"Nymphs, and Randy is just upset because of the spell. Get dressed so we can get out of here. Apparently I need to add a new ward to the castle when we get back." Jack looks confused at the mention of nymphs before he puts his clothes on and takes Randy from her.

"Hey, daddy's here, don't cry." Randy clings to him, burying his face against Jack while Mysterie prepares the spell again to take them back. Jack smiles, patting his back.

"There, there, it's ok." He hiccups a little and Mysterie slides an arm around Jack, gently guiding them both through the "rift" she's made to take them back home. Jack feels dizzy as his body isn't even fully healed yet. Mysterie sets up a new ward immediately to block out nymphs and their "imitation" magic which won't be able to completely copy the signatures of those who live in the castle or were allowed in. She helps Jack into bed, having taken him to Jamie's room and Randy refuses to leave so he ends up curled up asleep against Jack who falls asleep once settled on the bed. Mysterie takes care of the other children while the two of them sleep; Jack whines a little in his sleep. Mysterie doesn't bother Jack or Randy, but keeps an eye on them both just in case; Jack wakes up, coughing and wheezing from a nightmare. Andrew gets Jack a drink of water, quietly offering it so not to disturb Randy who seems to sleep through it. Jack quietly thanks him, drinking the water; Andrew just smiles in return before asking quietly.

"Hungry?" Jack smiles.

"Yeah."

"I'll get you something then, don't suggest you move too much though." He says quietly, pointing to the sleeping Randy before he slips from the room. Unlike the last one, this room has its door still; he comes back with lunch after several minutes, one of Jack's all-time favorite dishes.


	9. Forgotten Threat

Jack smirks when he sees what Andrew's brought him.

"How did you know that was my favorite?" He asks quietly, so as not to wake Randy. Andrew smiles a little.

"I didn't, Mysterie made it earlier." He murmurs quietly.

"Oh." Jack smirks and looks over at Randy.

"Well, I think it's time this little one got himself some food too." He sits up slowly, keeping Randy in his arms. Andrew smiles a little and goes to fetch a smaller plate of food for Randy; the boy stirs a little, yawning but just like Jamie had done on some occasions he just snuggles closer and buries his head against Jack's hoodie. Jack smiles.

"Aww." He coos quietly before chuckling.

"Just like your papa." Randy yawns again, muttering in confusion.

"Papa?" Jack chuckles.

"Other daddy." He smiles and slowly feeds him some mashed carrots and peas from the plate that Andrew brings in.

"Daddy." Randy smiles happily, eating what Jack feeds him. Jack smiles.

"Yep." He feeds him as much as he can eat and then burps him after. Randy hugs him happily and then slides off the bed, as if the fight with the nymphs had never happened. Jack sighs.

"What a wonderful day it is to go outside." Mysterie tends to the children with Andrew's help while Jamie sleeps peacefully through the day. Jack sighs and stretches, his back hurts but he wants to see his kids. Mysterie watches the kids who are playing with various toys in the room; Jack smiles when he sees this and chuckles.

"Can I play?" Mysterie smiles a little as the kids grin and let Jack join; he pretends to be a giant robot while Luke is an evil robot. Jack snickers as he plays along. Suddenly he feels pain slam into him and he collapses, the children think he's just playing.

"NOO! Daddy! Get up!!" They giggle and poke him but he cries out at the poke and curls in on himself as it feels like his mind is being rifled through like files. Mysterie moves to his side in concern and the children fall instantly silent; the pain recedes as something interfere with the power. A soft touch gently embracing Jack momentarily before fading. 

"What the hell..." He holds his head, which throbs in pain as he pants, laying there for about a minute or so before reassuring the children that he's fine. Mysterie wonders about that too as Andrew distracts the children while she sits with Jack who coughs.

 

 

"That's unusual." She sighs a little.

"Yeah, seems a fad as of lately that someone wants something from you." Jack groans.

"What is it about me that people want? I'm nothing special." He says tiredly. She chuckles softly.

"Dear, you'd be surprised how special you are. To a great many as well."

"Why is it me? What is it about me that people need? I'm just a winter spirit." Jack says, feeling faint and he slips into unconsciousness before she can answer. She sighs a little and carries him off to the bed, murmuring gently.

"You don't know how many are jealous of you my love." She gently brushes back a lock of his hair, setting up another ward as she leaves; Jack sleeps for a few days, it's about the time that he wakes up that Jamie wakes as well. He is walking from the cavern, about to take flight when something stabs at his mind. Trying to find something, but he fights them off, if only barely. What puzzles him is that the attacker wasn't that interested in him or Jack... it was looking for something specific... information they had on a woman they had no idea had been dead for years... The attacker goes back to Jack within a few hours, finding information in his mind that he didn't remember; he knew this woman... which made the pain all the worse as his mind is forced into a picture show. The intruder finds what it wants and pulls back. Jack whines in pain, shaking his head.

"What did it want?" Mysterie and Jamie can both feel his distress now and boy did his head hurt. Mysterie hugs Jack and the response comes from Jamie.

 _"Something about a woman... I don't know... that was weird."_ A figure stands in front of the ice cavern that Jamie left from just moments ago.

"So... you came here..." Brown eyes flash malevolently as he takes in the cavern; brilliant red hair is darkened by streaks of black and the dark brown eyes now have flecks of gray in them. Time had not been kind to the spirit who still bore the scar along his face and torso from his death. A car crash. Not that he remembers that or cares to; he's out to destroy the woman from his past... assuming she doesn't join him... 

Jack looks around, shivering and holding his head; Jamie arrives back at the castle, having a massive headache and he's just as confused about this as Jack is. Jack whimpers a little, not yet realizing that Jamie has come back; Jamie heads to his room. He's still so tired from everything. Not so much physically as mentally; Mysterie wraps her arms around Jack in comfort, unaware of the danger to come... a danger she has forgotten from her past life. Jack cries and whines, in so much pain that it feels like his head was opened like a book.

 

 

"Mysterie... it hurts. What ever it was... it was looking for something important." She frowns, doing what she can to ease the pain.

"That could have been any number of things then... do you know what it was searching through most?" Jack shudders.

"It was an old memory, of a woman; I don't know why but I had locked that away for some odd reason. I DON'T LIKE THIS!" He whines a moment then it turns into a growl.

"Whatever they are after I won't let them take it. Whatever it is, I have a feeling I won't want them to." She crinkles her brow in confusion.

"Who could be that important that you'd lock it away?" He shakes his head.

"I d-don't know, but I don't like that." 

"I can't say I do either." She wonders about that memory that the other had obviously wanted, but says nothing about it. Jack lays there a minute before sitting up.

"How about I make a nice dinner?"

"Sounds good." Mysterie smiles. Jack makes a nice Japanese dish, first time sushi for the children and surprisingly Brianna eats it exactly how they did in Japan, with chopsticks and everything. The boys, however, throw the california rolls at Jack who eats them as they're thrown at his mouth. The boys seem to think it's a good game until Mysterie gives them a look that tells them to behave, she wasn't going to encourage them to throw food instead of eating it; if they didn't like it they didn't have to eat it, but they weren't to throw it anymore. Jack whines at the end of the game and decides to bring Jamie a plate of his favorite sushi, which he'd introduced him to back in Japan before they'd been captured. Jamie is still asleep when Jack brings the dish in, causing the winter spirit to sigh.

"Guess I'll have to keep this in the fridge or make another batch tomorrow." He stets it on the nightstand anyway, just in case Jamie wakes up hungry. At some point Jamie must have woke up hungry because the plate is empty the next morning, though Jamie doesn't remember eating it; with the new day he makes his way to the small study he's made out of part of the library. Jack, meanwhile, lays back in a hammock in the small room that he doesn't recognize; the sun gleaming through the sunlight above while fish swam by along the walls.

"Who's room was this? Is this the boy's room when they get older?" Jack asks Mysterie when he sees her standing in the doorway. She nearly groans as she realizes she should have had Jamie lock this room....

"No, it belonged to a visitor we had. They're gone now." She avoids mentioning more... or at least she intends to if she can help it.


	10. Lurking Trouble and Forgotten Memories

Jack looks at her strangely.

"Who? What visitor? How come I can't remember?" He swings a bit in the hammock, playing with some realistic sand he'd conjured up; he loves how the fish swim along the walls and he smiles at the room as the sand he's playing with disappears.

"This looks like a fun room, was our guest a mermaid or something?"

"Or something." Jack looks at her in confusion.

"Well, where did he or she go?" Jack thinks on this and the more he thinks the realization begins to dawn on her that his mind might bring back the painful memories of Jack and Billy.

"Back home." She says after a moment of silence as it was the only answer she could think of.

"By the way, have you seen Tooth's room? When she was last here she decided to decorate the guest room we have for her. It's different now too." Jack looks back over at her.

"Nah, also I think I"m gonna hang here. Try to remember why I can't remember this guest."

"I don't think that's a good idea Jack." She sighs a little.

"There's a reason you don't remember. I will explain, but only to a point because of the reason I will give." 

"Why?" He looks at her, even more confused now.

"Because they were the reason you snapped. that you were so bent on destroying yourself no matter what we did or said. It's not something I like thinking about... Jamie did everything he could to try and snap you out of it... I would have joined him but the kids... Not even the children could reach you." She sighs.

"Unlike me... Jamie has never had to watch someone he cares about wither and die before him. I did, once. When I was still human. I don't know if you've noticed... but I know something shifted in him just before he found what he did. I'm not even sure what it was he found or how he found it." Jack winces and stops swinging.

"Forget about it. I don't want to know."

"You might want to leave the room before it triggers anything. Chances are there's something here that might trigger the memory that... whatever it was... has been currently suppressing." Jack sniffs.

 

 

"I'm tired. Forget about it." He turns away from her, she winces a little but she stays until he's fallen asleep; once he has she carries him from the room with her sand. Reminded painfully how upset Jack had been with her... She settles him in his room before seeing the children are down for their naps.

"You should take a break. You look tired." Jamie says, but she shakes her head a little.

"Comes with the territory."

"Go on. I'll look after the children." She almost stays, but after a moment she nods and slips from the castle, unaware of what a mistake this would soon be... As Jack dreams, memories of what had happened come crashing in; faces, cries, pain.... the agonizing pain makes him scream in his sleep and along the mental links with Mysterie and Jamie. The screech like fire alarms to Mysterie, Jamie, and Andrew. The figure scoffs, standing in the shadows of the balcony, looking in on Jack as the sound echoes outside.

"You're pathetic. She deserves a REAL man."

"Not that you'd be good judge of that." Jamie snarls at the intruder.

"Get out."

"Or what?" Jamie's answer leaves him reeling in pain and forces him to retreat. Jack whines, wincing in pain.

"W-what's going on?" He whines as the intruder had been looking for more leads to the woman through him. Jamie expels the intruder forcefully from Jack's mind; Jack pants, having now rolled out of the bed and onto the floor. He looks around, fearful tears rolling down his cheeks. Mysterie moves over to Jack gently, having returned at a moment's notice.

"Jack? Sweetheart?" She murmurs. Jack jumps at the sound of her voice and hits the wall, tears falling faster than rivers.

"Jack, it's okay." She murmurs softly. Jack comes closer, looking around like a cornered animal before tackling Mysterie, shaking in her arms. He sniffs, looking around fearfully and screeches as Randy comes in and about darts under the bed except that she keeps him close to her and prevents it.

"It's alright Jack. It was just a dream." She murmurs softly as she holds him close. Jack shivers and hides against her shirt.

"D-dream." His voice is small and scared, much like a small child's. She gently rubs his back, comforting him the best that she can; thinking that this sort of thing Jamie is a little better at. Jack hides under her skirt. Jack whines and slightly clutches her like a koala; she murmurs soft reassurances to him as she holds him close. Jack sniffs, coming out of hiding but still clinging to her; he buries his head into her chest. After a while his breathing calms as he has fallen asleep; the children come in.

 

 

"Dada." They say in unison, but Mysterie sushes them gently and Jamie herds them gently out of the room while Mysterie snuggles with Jack; she watches over his dreams for the rest of the evening, warding off any nightmares. Jack dreams of himself, sometimes thinking he is a failure since the intruder had filled his head with lies; he doubts himself more and more. Mysterie shoves away the doubts, murmuring loving reassurances. Jack slowly falls into a more peaceful slumber, so much so that he's limp against her; she sighs a little. The figure watches her angrily from the shadows.

"So, he's what's most precious to you. Why don't I break him, make him my little pet... See how far until you break." The next time Jack wakes up he's so out of it but he leaves to make breakfast anyway; the children latch themselves onto him when he passes the nursery, clinging like glue. Jack sighs as he finishes cooking.

"Get off, daddy's got hot food." He whines a little as they refuse to let go. He really doesn't need the extra weight of them on him as he almost face plants into the pan, but luckily he misses; he yawns and finishes making breakfast. He almost gives the kids hot plates of food but realizes it's too big and cuts up the food before adding mashed peas. Mysterie helps Jack with a slight chuckle, pulling each of the children off him one by one. Jack sighs, smiling and slowly stumbling he moves to take Jamie his breakfast. Jamie comes into the room, steadying Jack.

"Morning." Jack smiles.

"Here's breakfast, not my best but food is edible." Jamie just smiles a little as he takes the plate.

"Thanks hun. Now why don't you sit down for a while?" Jack nods, he still feels like he is undeserving of this family but he immediately shuts down those thoughts because he is a good father and husband to Mysterie and Jamie. Well, sometimes he's not, he feels that he's not anyway but he has a great family and he wasn't going to let this get to him. Jamie settles down in a chair nearby, eating the meal with a slight smile. Jack looks out the window and then to the kids.

"Gosh, I'm sorry I was around the kids and you guys helping much." He realizes that he's basically missed out on so much with all that keeps happening.

"Don't worry about it love." Mysterie says and Jack nods.

"Anyways, I was thinking we could take the kids to the zoo." He sighs.

"But I don't know yet." He winces a bit as his head still hurts from the intrusion.

"A good idea. I'm sure the kids will love the chance to see real animals." Jamie remarks.


	11. Dreams of Forgotten Memories

"Yeah, but what if they get out of hand? I'm thinking kid walker leashes." 

"Already ahead of you." Mysterie replies and produces the "leashes" that look like little backpacks that are made to look like various animals, each one inscribed with a name and made up of each of their favorite animal.

"North gave these to me when I told him I wanted to take the kids on an outing eventually, but that I was concerned about them being problematic. Comes with power suppressers and everything to help us keep them close." Jack smiles.

"Perfect. I say we go tomorrow. I'll make a picnic lunch and stuff."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jamie nods in agreement.

"Ugh, gosh, being probed is not my kind of fun." Jack senses something around but he can't find it because as soon as he looks the feeling that something is there disappears. He'd gotten what he'd needed, he'd eventually put two and two together between the two spirits, but none of them were area; unaware that this time the intruder's target is Mysterie.... 

"Let's get the munchkins in here so that we can watch, and introduce Luke, Randy, Noah and Brianna to Star Wars." Jamie smiles a little and nods, helping Mysterie gather them up and change diapers first before settling everyone in the living room. Mysterie settles with Brianna, Andrew with Noah, Luke insists on sitting in Jack's lap while Randy insists on sitting in Jamie's. Jack smiles as he starts the moving, the rolling credits come up and Jack reads them for the children, even if they don't understand all of the words. Randy and Luke seem the most interested for the moment, Brianna and Noah don't seem to take any interest until the movie actually starts. Luke giggles and bounces for a moment and then the questions come.

"Dada, who that? Ooh... what's that?" Jack replies to each question.

"Watch the movie and you'll find out." Each of the children seem more or less engrossed in the movie for a while. Jack sighs and starts to fall asleep for no reason except that he's just so tired. Jamie notices and keeps a closer eye on Jack than the movie now, to guard his dreams. Jack sniffs, realizing something is wrong; he shoots straight up and looks around worriedly.

"I could have sworn I saw someone next to Mysterie." She glances around but shakes her head; there isn't anyone there but them and the kids. Jack shivers; he didn't like whatever that was and he turns, checking the wards. It turns out to be nothing and whatever he'd seen... it hadn't been a real threat, because the real threat wasn't able to actually get past the wards. He just figured that the there threat was another light spirit... Jack sighs tiredly.

 

 

"I'm going to bed, okay?"

"Okay." Mysterie hopes silently that Jack will sleep better. Jamie doesn't follow Jack, but he does monitor him to make sure that there aren't anymore nightmares and that the intruder doesn't reappear. Jack sleeps peacefully, but every once and a while his dreams were interrupted by the memories of a woman he didn't quite recognize yet felt was familiar somehow. Jack twists and turns in his sleep, fighting the dream that can't be stopped because it's a memory, not a nightmare, and he needed to see this particular memory, one he'd long forgotten. In the dream she stands with Jack, glaring at Pitch who is surrounded by his Nightmares; in her eyes is defiance and not a trace of fear as she commands the Nightmares around Pitch to drag him away... Jack watches the dream from a distance, seeing himself and this woman.

"Y-you were there... w-when was this?" He asks himself as he watches the Nightmares drag Pitch away. Traces of silver sand liter the ground around Jack as she turns back to him, concern in her green eyes as she held him close. A rogue Nightmare goes unnoticed as it makes its way towards them, before stabbing Jack; plunging the dream version of him into a nightmare. She follows with silver sand swirling around her and him despite her exhaustion. Jack cries out... how? When? He didn't remember any of this though the Nightmare he finds himself watching feels familiar though he can't remember it, which makes it all the more scary. Seeing himself let go like that, he reaches for her but the memory doesn't let him and so he gives up.

"MYSTERIE!!!" Jack jolts awake from the memory-nightmare, immediately sucking in as much air as possible into his lungs. Jamie is in the room, having seen the dream and unable to fight it off since it had actually happened. He wraps his arms around Jack.

"It's alright Jack." Jack coughs, hugging Jamie and shaking.

"I don't remember none of it... I let go... why did I let go!" 

"I don't know... Mysterie says that happened around the time when you first met... I'd no idea she'd met Pitch... or that you were having nightmares then." Jamie replies after a moment as Mysterie feeds him the information after he's relayed when he'd seen in the dream to her. Jack whines.

"I d-don't remember any of that happening."

"Hmmm, odd. That was a while ago though. Several years really... I mean... it's been at least ten years since you met." Jack nods a little but slowly he falls asleep again, dragged once more into more memories he's forgotten. This time Jack dreams he's in the ice cavern home that he'd made; it wasn't quite a home yet though from the looks of it as all it has is a single bed and she is sitting on it as he comes out of the bathroom after being hurt by hot water... hoping that she wouldn't think he was crazy... Jack heard himself speak.

"So... uh... what is it you wanna talk to me about?" She looks like she's struggling with something as she looks at him before glancing away and answering.

 

 

"I... have a theory about all this... but before I get to that I have to confess something. I... I'm not likely the best person to help you... I'm not-" She pauses to take a shaky breath.

"I'm not pure hearted like you... or Jamie... or any of the Guardians... I have a darker side. It's... it's what keeps Nightmares from affecting me, but... I know it also means that if Pitch ever found out about it... Well... it wouldn't be pretty because if that side ever took over me... I'd be... worse than Pitch." Jack whines.

"Mysterie you're not evil! You're not!" Jack screams, twisting and turning in his sleep as he wants it to end, but the memories refused to be stopped, no matter what Jamie and Mysterie attempt. The memory changes suddenly and it's darker than the last... Jack is hurt front he wounds Jakoul had inflicted on him. She stood a few feet away.

 **"You've overdone it... stop marking up that pretty little body of his Jakoul."** It isn't her though... something is different and Jack can feel the dream his dream self does.

"Awwww, but I was just having fun." Jakoul pouts, Jack cries out in his sleep in fear and pain; the children come into the room at the wrong time. Jack arches, screaming the bloodiest scream he's ever uttered, causing the kids to scream in fright and run to Jamie.

"MAMAAA! DADDA! DADDY'S SCREAMING AND FLOATING AND... AND!" They start to cry, Mysterie comes into the room and ushers them from it while Jamie is trying to deal with the dream as best as he can, having entered the dream itself now. He wraps his arms around the version of Jack who is forced to watch.

"Jack, calm down. It's a dream sweetheart... come on..." He murmurs reassuringly, trying to calm him down. Jack whines as each memory gets worse than the last and Jamie realizes that Jack might break from this and so he sends out a wave of his power to block out the memories and keep them from reaching Jack but one last one gets through... 

 **"Tell me... when's the last time you heard a child scream? Oh... how delicious it is when the child loses their innocence for the first time... I love taking that part of childhood from them. They make the most delicious of sounds! I can teach you how to make them beg... and if you like... I'll share the first victim with you that I have in mind. Only fitting after all that it be Jack's first believer... the boy is young at heart and mind, but he's grown up enough that I'm sure it won't take much to get him to beg after he start screaming..."** She chuckles darkly while the dream version of Jack struggles against the black sand, the dream Jack saying in desperation.

"No, Mysterie, don't do this. I know you're still there!" Then that version of Jack screams out.

"I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH JAMIE!!!" Jamie manages to block further memories, wincing at the last one; it has been years since he's thought about that... but he hadn't forgotten. Jack cries, shaking as he cried. As soon as he registers Jamie's touch he pushes him out of his mind, running into a nearby closet and locking himself in; he hadn't forgotten entirely about that and seeing it again had broken his heart. Jamie winces and changes places with Mysterie; he consoles the children and keeps them calm while she tries to reach Jack to console him.


	12. Zoo

The kids are scared for Jack, crying.

"Is dada dying? Is dada ok? Is he dead!" They repeat the same questions over and over as Jamie does his best to reassure them as he keeps them close to him.

"No, he's not going to die. It's just that he's got some really bad nightmares. Your mommy will take care of him, don't worry." They attach to him like monkeys.

"Ohkway." They say in unison, which would be positively adorable under different circumstances. Jack winces, coughing and jumping away from any attempt Mysterie makes to touch him; he won't let her or anything touch him at the moment and she realizes that the memories had brought back painful thoughts and feelings. She doesn't try touching him after he's pulled away the first time but she doesn't leave him.

"Jack... sweetheart..." Jack breathes heavily, sucking in as much air as possible as he tries to calm down only to cause himself to faint. She sighs and puts him back onto the bed once he's out while Jamie smiles at the children and takes them back to the living room to finish watching the movie as they cling to him; he floats so he can carry them as they giggle. Jack wakes up the next morning, shaken, but determined not to let the pain ruin the day for the kids as it will be their first time at the zoo. He gets up and starts making the lunch they will take. Mysterie helps Jamie prepare the kids for the trip; hoping this outing would prove to be peaceful for once though she makes sure there's plenty of bandages and stuff, just in case... While she's packing the first aide supplies Jack puts the picnic lunch into sacks for each of the children and sticks them into the specialized backpacks, which Jamie secured on each of the kids; he held the leash part while Jack creates a cart for them to ride in as well as an ice stag to pull the cart. They climb in with his help while Jack packs some extra binkies into the diaper bag that Mysterie brings along that has, of course, diapers in it as well as clean wipes and some extra clothes and other things for various things that may or may not happen. She uses her sand to add seat belts to the little cart once she sees the children safely inside.

"Alright, let's go." The kids giggle excitedly, squirming in their seats. Jack gently kicks the stag he's made for himself and whistles at the other, which follows his with the kids. Jack looks around tiredly as the two stags walk from the castle's front doors with Mysterie and Jamie behind; Jamie closes the door and they walk behind the ice animals as they set off for the zoo. She and Jamie are concerned for Jack despite Jamie's reassurances that he's blocked the old memories for now. The group stops near the zoo's entrance, the sounds of various animals could be heard.

"MONKWEE!!" Luke cries and pretends to be one, Randy pretends to be a tiger and Brianna pretends to be a dolphin. Noah didn't pretend to be anything though; which worries Jack, he's noticed that the boy is always quiet a lot. While the others are goofing around in their seats, the boy just seems to take everything in. 

 

 

"What should we see first?" Jamie asks as he holds the leashes of the four. Jack sighs tiredly.

"Let's go see the monkey or tigers, dolphins... sloth..." He trails off as his eyes slowly close but he opens them immediately; there's a flash of fear in his eyes before it disappears and he speeds away, leading the group to the monkeys first before the other animals. Mysterie is concerned as she follows Jack; she and Jamie share a brief look of concern and after seeing half the zoo they call for a break and lunch. Mysterie spreads out the blanket she brought underneath a tree for them all while Jamie settles the kids in the "leashes" before helping each one out of the cart and allowing them to stretch their legs before they sit down to wait for their lunch to be given to them. Jack sets up the picnic, giving each of them a juice box and sets the rest out for the three of them before he just collapses on the blanket, suddenly too tired to stay awake; he doesn't want to sleep ever again but his body just gives out on him. Mysterie sees to it that Jack is comfortable while Jamie reassures the children that Jack is just tired because he had a rough night last night. Jack dreams again, the memories pushing hard on the mental block that Jamie has set up; straining to escape. Mysterie manages to keep the memories back so that Jack can have a restful sleep, her power reinforcing Jamie's original spell; Jack sleeps fine, unaware of the shadow figure hiding in the darkness of the nearby animal cages while the boys throw cake at one another. Mysterie cleans up the boys with wipes and her sand, unaware of the figure watching them closely from the shadows.

"Hmmm... children too... such a shame they weren't mine... I'll have to ratify that mistake soon enough." He murmurs to himself as he watches the family. Jack wakes up to that strange feeling again; he looks by the cages but he doesn't see anything, absolutely nothing and he growls in frustration. Doing this, however, makes Randy yell and tackle him.

"Ouch! My peewees!!" Jack yelps.

"Randy! What have I told you about that?" Mysterie scolds him gently as Randy looks up at Jack.

"Sowy daddy..." 

"It's okay." Jack pats him as the boy gets off him, he sighs before saying to the group.

"Let's go look at the giraffes now." Jamie puts all the kids back into the cart while Mysterie packs up the leftovers, the figure watches them with a sneer.

"There's no way she can be happy with HIM... he can't even commit fully to her! What a joke... so hung up on his own first believer..." When he got the chance, he was going to make Jack pay... and dearly... but first there was the matter of getting her... then he'd get revenge on the frost spirit.

"I think we need to change some diapers before we see the giraffes." Jamie says and Mysterie nods and they all head off towards the bathrooms, Jamie and Mysterie have disappeared into the respective bathrooms with the children to change them but Jack hovers outside as that feeling that he'd felt before makes him pause and turn. He swears he sees someone amongst the shadows and he glares in the direction of the figure; who has realized after a moment that he's been spotted, but it's too late and Jack flies towards him, tackling him to the ground.

 

 

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING US!?!" He pushes Jack off of him, his brown eyes darkening as he growls and gets to his feet.

"Because you have something that belongs to me... but I'll claim soon enough. You, Frost, may prove to be the tool to get it." Jack stares at him in anger.

"Whatever you're after I won't let you take it. Leave, now." He glares at the other, power showing in his eyes even as the wind and the trees twits and crash around the two of them.

"I'm warning you.... what do you mean I'm the tool?" He snarls after the words register in his mind.

"You're the one, pathetic obstacle that keeps me from my goal. We'll meet again Frost." He replies before disappearing in a flash of light. Jack snarls, growling after the figure.

"You'll bet we will, I won't be alone though buddy." Jack runs back to the bathrooms as Jamie and Mysterie are coming out.

"Mysterie. Jamie." He calls out and he begins to explain everything that just happened, slowly only to get a throbbing headache and he forgets what it is he's been saying almost immediately, making him look at them both in fear.

"I... can't remember." Jamie has a concerned look on his face, but by this time Mysterie has gone white as a sheet.

"Mysterie?" Jack looks at her, worried now.

"Mysterie." She blinks.

"I... I think I k-knew him..." 

"Y-you what?" Jack looks at her, confused. He shakes a little as he stands with them, something obviously repressing his memory and trying to make him forget the man he'd just tackled.

"Who is he? Tell me." Mysterie sits down.

"I won't go into details... but..." She glances towards the children meaningfully; she didn't think they needed to hear all this yet.

"He was an enemy of mine... when I was still alive... as a child. He was a source of torture for me right up until I moved to high school. I escaped him there... but I don't know why or what became of him."


	13. Threat From the Past

Jack's eyes went wide.

"You mean that punk did those horrible things to you?!" He growls savagely, scaring the children a little and seeing this he makes an effort to calm himself.

"More or less... I haven't seen him in many years Jack... but the individual you just described... sounds  _exactly_ like him..." Jack glares as he forces his mind to hang onto the memory of the conversation he'd had.

"Mysterie, I don't like this. He said I was the tool to helping him." She winces a little.

"He was a... jerk back then too... I guess it's too much to think he'd have grown out of it." 

"Grown out of what?" Jack growls, he's pissed.

"Of being who he obviously still is." Jack glares.

"Well I won't let him dare touch you; starting now we stay together." Jack growls, sending a warning shot out in case the other was watching. Mysterie smiles a little, but the figure only laughs at Jack's attempt. Not that Jack would know it. Jack glances around, glaring angrily, knowing that this is only the beginning and he would fight to hell and back before being used to help this spirit get to Mysterie. He takes them back to the castle, adding extra barriers and mental barriers to everyone and every room. Mysterie is still a little concerned, even with all the precautions; she is silent for the rest of the evening. Jack lays in bed between her and Jamie that night, the kids camping out on the floor in sleeping bags. He stays awake the entire night while they sleep, he wouldn't sleep until he knew that his family was safe again. Mysterie rests a little uneasy that night, not having nightmares really; just things she wishes she didn't remember... For two weeks Jack constantly checks everything, every morning hour to midnight until he's so tense that he looks like he might snap at anything. When nothing happens, Mysterie begins to relax; Jack relaxes a tad bit but he still keeps his guard up no matter what. It wasn't until Mysterie was out gathering some flowers that he appeared... She was just inside the wards and he was just outside of them so she wasn't expecting it in a clearing she had grown to love so much. Jack watches for trouble but only feels pain for some odd reason at times, and they were getting worse each time but he persists to keep Mysterie and the family safe no matter what. Mysterie stares at him calmly as he stands beneath a nearby tree.

"Never would have imagined seeing you here. Quite the home for an ugly duckling." She winces inwardly, but otherwise she seems calm as she faces him.

"What do you want?"

 

 

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me Kari." She frowns a little.

"Hardly. That doesn't tell me what you want Matt or why you're hounding my family." He raises an eyebrow at that.

"You call that a family? A bunch of brats who barely listen and a winter spirit hung up on his first believer like some love-sick puppy? Give me a break." She scowls silently in response. Jack winces as the pain flares up and he glares when he sees the bastard; he flies down in front of Mysterie.

"I'm warning you right now, get out of here now." His eyes flash black and Black Fyre surrounds him. He raises an eyebrow at Jack.

"Or what? Your little display couldn't frighten a child... You still are one in fact." Mysterie glares at him.

"Enough. I don't know who you THINK you are but insult my family again and I will show you just how pathetic YOU are in comparison." Her eyes flash dangerously, but Matt just laughs and tosses a mock salute before vanishing. Jack snarls viciously in anger.

"That guy... if I see him again he is dead." He shakes with uncontrollable anger and the tree near them burst into flames before Jack clams down and douses the poor tree in water. He sits down on the grass, shaking his head; the other spirit's words getting to him.

"What can I do? I am still a child..." He says as tears begin falling.

"I'm nothing." Mysterie wraps her arms around him.

"No dear. Don't let him get to you. He was an arrogant asshole while alive and he still is but nothing he's ever said has been true. You might look young but you're not a child and you can do a great deal. He should be worried about facing us and if he had a brain like the other spirits he'd leave well enough alone." Jack looks up at her a moment before giving her a passionate kiss, he smiles when he breaks it.

"Thank you." She returns the kiss, holding him close with a slight smile.

"Shouldn't that be my line? After all, you've given me so much since we first met." Jack sighs a bit.

"Now I'm not letting you go until the creep's gone." She nuzzles against him gently.

"It's true though and I think he's just jealous." Jack nods, suddenly feeling really tired.

"What's going on with me?" He whines as it gets worse, the more that Matt showed up the worse it got; the two are unaware that was part of his plan. Weakening Jack's mind, turning him into his personal pet to use against Mysterie so that she would give up. She takes him inside; Jack sighs.

 

 

"Hey, I'm fine." He pulls from her grip.

"I'm fine, I'm the one that's watching you and the kids, remember? Not you watching me." She chuckles softly.

"Yes, but I always keep an eye on you because I love you. How else have I evaded being ambushed by a snowball the last several years?" Jack snickers at this.

"I guess so." He sighs tiredly.

"God... my body's so fucking tired!" She simply smiles and nudges him towards a bed for a nap; she needs one too as she yawns, leaving Jamie and Andrew to play a game of checkers while the kids have their naps too. Jack winces as a sharp pain goes through him and he falls into a very deep sleep. Mysterie curls up next to him, drifting off; Jack grunts and turns in his sleep, curling into her and tightening his grip on her as if she would disappear. He groans as he wakes up, not having slept well as the pain had intensified last night; Mysterie is barely better off... exhausted from having to fight off memories of the past in her dreams. Jack sighs.

"Let's stay in bed today." She sighs a little.

"I think that's a good idea." Jack nods his head.

"Argh... my head..." He groans and holds his head.

"It hurts. Ever since that bastard looked through my mind it hurts." Jamie does what he can to try and soothe Jack's pain while he gets the children breakfast.

"Hmmm, can't imagine why. He's not exactly like Jamie... since no one light spirit is the same as the other... and he can't command my sand..." She ponders this, trying to figure out what it is Matt  _can_ do. Jack grunts.

"The bastard's dead next time I see him." 

"Assuming you do. You said that yesterday too." Jack glares at a nearby standing mirror, he looks awful and not like the frost spirit he usually is; he is full of hate for that Matt character. She sighs tiredly.

"Don't let him get to you." Jack growls and then counts to ten to calm down enough to hug her.

"I'm sorry, just... he pisses me off so much that he wants you. That's all I know." 


	14. Traps

"Why would he want me? He hated my guts... we were enemies in life." She mumbles in confusion. Jack growls.

"No idea, but he hates me; he needs me for odd reasons, I don't know why he hates me more than you." 

"That's bizarre... there's no way he could have known about you. I mean... most of the kids in our area weren't really strong in the whole area of belief." Jack shakes his head.

"Well, he did." He winces, hissing between his teeth in pain as Matt manipulates it to feel more pain. Jamie fights back the influence while Mysterie just frowns.

"Weird. I mean... I was the only one who could see you... at least, I thought so." Jack shivers as the memory starts clawing back into his head now... he knew the guy... He shivers in pain. Mysterie sighs, worried about what Matt might intend as an adult... Jack shivers more. Why didn't he remember this? Why did he forget?

 _ **"Because you wanted to, Jack. You said the pain was too much."**_  Jackson replies.

 _ **"So, I made you forget as you** **wished."**_  Mysterie closes her eyes, trying to forget the last memory that she'd barely remembered... All she remembers is running from Matt and his "friends" who had chased her from the playground... There had been at least six of them... she couldn't hope to fight them off... She'd never run so hard or fast in her life. She had made it safely around the building though where an adult was and knew the kids wouldn't try anything with an adult around. She'd been eight... Jack whines as he remembers the boy.

"He was the b-bully... the one who stabbed me with the dagger so I couldn't save you." Jack snarls, shaking so hard now that the entire castle quakes with his anger and pain.

"What?" She looks at Jack, confused. Jack glares down at the pillow.

"Around the same time you were attacked, the boy was a good friend of mine; when he was first born he could see me... just like you could. One day, I had to leave and he turned resentful, angry at me. I tried to get him to be friends with me again, but by then he'd stopped believing I'd existed and started murdering cats and such in his anger. Not long afterwards he began bullying you." 

"What are you talking about Jack?" She can't remember there being a time where she really needed saving... well, except that one time in middle school when Matt had actually physically attacked her in the school hallway... but that was nothing compared to the near rape she'd suffered when she'd been 11... what was Jack talking about? Jack sniffs.

 

 

"It's my fault he's even after you." He slowly explains how he'd visited the boy so often as a child, but had stopped visiting when he'd found her and that he thought that Matt had become jealous of her. She frowns thoughtfully.

"So... I wasn't the only one then, but he could have picked on anyone... How could he have known I could see you without believing? By the time we met... I didn't even believe in the Guardians." Jack glares at the floor.

"He caught me at it one time, he knew you could because I always followed you. You know all those messages on your phone that said things like 'hello' and 'meet me outside'? Then when you came out it would snow beautifully? That was me." Jack sighs.

"I guess he was mad at me for doing that for you instead of him. Turns out he died from a storm I had created in 2000, a car crash."

"I ... I had no idea..." She murmurs and looks at him. She remembers those messages from when she'd been in middle school; she'd never found out who had sent them or why... but it had always snowed when she went outside after receiving a text telling her to.

"Why? Why did you send those messages? The snow?" 

"I saw how people treated you and I wanted you to be happy." He says sadly, wincing in pain as Matt makes it clear he's listening. She sighs a little.

"I can't blame you for that I guess... I never really was very happy until I went to college..." Jack winces in more pain.

"Ow ow... it hurts... oh God..." It got worse and worse and finally Jack passes out from it. Mysterie, pissed at Matt, leaves the castle in search of him now. Jack whimpers in the forced sleep, groaning as his body hurts so much that for a minute he forgets about Mysterie as his mind and body feels like it's on fire. Mysterie eventually finds Matt, though it takes her a few hours to locate him; he sits on a throne made of what looks like rock and rusty metal that he'd blow torched together with his powers. He's been waiting for her, knowing that eventually Jack would break.

"Stop this madness! Now." She glares at him. He picks at some dirt under one nail.

"No, I don't think I will Kari. After all, he is my one best friend. My friend before you even believed in him, oh how many nights you didn't know his pain... can't even begin to understand him... yet I do and have since birth." 

"Leave him alone or so help me you'll wish you never knew his name..." She hisses.

"Why would you even do this? You never hurt your other friends!" 

"Well, this was his fault." He stood from the throne and circled her like a shark, deadly anger bubbling beneath the surface of his gaze.

 

 

"He left me for you after all. I want revenge and what better way than to take him from you, and kill you, show him that you don't mess with me." He smiles.

"As we speak he'll forget you even existed." She frowns.

"One flaw in your plan there "genius" if you make him forget me then it won't matter if you kill me. That is, of course... assuming you're even capable of it." Matt snickers.

"That's where this comes in." A wave of pain floods her system, making it almost impossible for her to control her sand as he entraps her in a cage of rock and iron.

"You're the bait, of course. Once he gets here I will destroy you and he will be my friend again once you're dead." She sneers, despite quaking from the pain.

"Even if he forgot I existed, why would he be friends with someone like YOU? You're selfish, conceited. Why would  **anyone** , let alone the Guardian of  _Fun_ want to spend time with you? Why don't you try befriending Pitch!" She hadn't lost any of her confidence outwardly, inwardly though she's shuddering as he was worse than she had thought... Matt smiles.

"Because he won't even remember who I am and only remember who I was, as a kid, and that you were the one who bullied me bitch." Mysterie falls silent as she wonders what she can do. Jamie, meanwhile, is sitting at Jack's side, having entered the mindscape again to fight off Matt's influence the moment he'd sensed it. He wasn't simply going to sit back while Matt messed with Jack's head and he certainly had no love for the other light spirit... In fact, the more time that was passing the more he was beginning to hate the guy. Jack heaves in pain, shivering and shaking as it continues to grow. Jamie fights against the influence with a snarl, pushing it back. Mysterie sits in the cage, after a moment she speaks up again.

"You don't know who you're dealing with... Jamie won't allow this."

"Oh I know. I know, which is why he fell into my little trap." 

"Trap? What have you done?" She tries to think what she can do as she waits for an answer. There is laughter in Jamie and Jack's head, familiar laughter and Jack whines, crying.

 _ **"Looks like Jackie's not feeling so good..."**_ Jack grunts in more pain as the influence slowly sinks in. Desire has trapped Jamie easily, while he was distracted by trying to fight off Matt, and is now taking him back to the other world.

"You won't need Jackie where we're going." Jamie suppresses a whimper...  There was no way he was back... Markus wouldn't allow it... This couldn't be real... He sends a warning across the bond to Jack of the trap awaiting him while Mysterie tries to think of a way out of this mess. Jack whines as it hurts the more he tries to fight the influence; Jamie realizes he can't let Desire take him again. Jack needs him as does Mysterie.

 


	15. Results of the Battle

Glaring angrily, Desire slaps Jamie, making him lose his focus and control.

"Quit fighting, this is your home now." Jamie struggles against the collar, he isn't going to stop fighting... ever. Jamie growls, trying to fight off Desire's influence through the collar. Desire pins Jamie down, licking his neck and whispering pervertedly to him. Jack's cries over the bond to Jamie overloads the collar, adding to Jamie's will to fight. Jamie barely manages to break the collar's hold and he shoves Desire away from him, hissing.

"Hands off bastard!" 

Jack struggles, but the influence only grows stronger and finally he arrives at the lair... or rather Jack would call it one. He coughs, falling to his knees as the pain is the most intense here.

"Jack!" Mysterie angrily blasts Matt with flames, despite how useless it might seem it was a good distraction because what she does next the other light spirit isn't expecting. She transformed into a dragon, bursting the cage... she is one pissed off dragon too... Matt stares. He's never had any inkling from Jack or Jamie that she could do THIS... because there really was only one memory where she had transformed in front of either Jamie or Jack and Matt hadn't bothered to look for it... Jack coughs and goes limp as the pain is too much for him, the influence takes its toll. Waking up a moment later his eyes are dulled but almost bright like electricity.

"Matt?" It's the first the says, the other spirit had done it... had erased all the memories except the one of who Mysterie was. He looks over at her.

"MYSTERIE!!" He runs to her only to be held back by Matt.

"M-matt..." He shakes in fear as Matt's eyes narrow. Out of the cage, Mysterie is free and she hisses; despite the pain her sand swirls around Jack. She knows he hates this but she had to protect him at all costs. She turns him into sand and as Matt blasts her with pain and fire as he stabs her in the soft underbelly with a slab of stone. Jack cries, struggling in the sand.

"WHERE AM I?! WHAT'S GOING ON!!" Jack cries even as Mysterie swings her head around to Matt and snaps him into two halves; driven to by the pain and just wanting to end it. As the sand reforms Jack several feet away from her, Mysterie hurls up the mangled second half of Matt... She feels sick... that wasn't all she had hurled up of course... but still...  Jack whimpers, Matt isn't dead really but he is in shock and a lot of pain. Jack curls up in a ball, shaking.

Desire growls.

"You do realize this is my world now. You're not in control of anything here Jamie." He hisses as he glares at the boy before him before claiming him in a rough kiss. Jamie retaliates by pulling back and punching him in the face.

 

 

"Not anymore." He angrily rips off the collar and then rips a hole in the dimension to return home and get back to Jack. 

Mysterie turns to Jack once she's stopped being sick, she gently nudges him.

 _Jack?_ He shivers from pain and exhaustion. She turns back to Matt... or the two halves of him; he squeaks and she blasts him with the hottest fyre there is. Not even ash is left when the fyre goes out. Jamie teleports to Mysterie's location and kneels next to Jack; he picks him up and looks at her before teleporting himself and Jack back to the castle and Mysterie to the gardens so she could have enough room to reverse the transformation. Jack squeals as he doesn't remember anything else but fear at the moment.

"Easy Jack... it's okay... it's just me." Jamie murmurs soothingly as he holds him close, carrying him to a nearby bed. Jack shivers.

"Who are you?" Jack doesn't remember anyone but Matt and Mysterie now. Jamie stares in shock then calls over the bond for Mysterie who makes it to the room, having returned to normal.

"What?"

"He d-doesn't r-remember m-me..." Jamie stammers, shock keeping him from simply bursting into tears. Jack looks around.

"Sorry, uh..." He looks at Mysterie and glares.

"Oh, it's you again bully." She realizes that Matt has made her out to be the bully in Jack's memories. She whimpers, backing away from him, her eyes bright with tears.

"W-what did he do to him?" Jamie stammers. Jack glares at the two and gets off the bed.

"Whatever you brought me here for leave me alone..." He leaves to look for Matt, unaware that the children are happy Jack is back and they go to hug him. He looks down at them uncomfortably.

"Whoa... hey, I'm not your dad. The name's Jack Frost, I don't have kids." They stare up at him and then start to cry as he pries them off him and then leaves. Jamie sends out a distress signal to Tooth over the comm while Mysterie comforts the kids and tell them ... a little, about what's happened. Jack flies about, confused as he doesn't recognize anything at the moment as he searches for his "best friend Matt."

"Jack!" It's Tooth, who zips towards Jack; he turns to look at her, confused.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" 

 

 

"Jack... I'm the Tooth Fairy... and you've lost something precious to you... something I can help you with." 

"Uh... look... um... Tooth... I didn't lose anything. I'd like it if you keep it to yourself." Jack flies off, feeling uncomfortable. Tooth flies after him.

"I meant your memories Jack. After all... you are a Guardian." Jack looks at her, more confused than before.

"Look, Tooth, you must be confusing me with another Jack. The Jack I am is the one who's been alone for 300 years so... uh... leave me alone like all the others do. I know all you're interested in is my teeth and -" He cuts off as what Tooth just said sinks in.

"Did you say m-memories? You have my memories!" 

"Yes Jack. I only want to help." Jack glares.

"You had my memories for over 300 years and didn't even think to tell me!!" Tooth gives him a sad look.

"If I had known sooner... I would have helped you as soon as I saw..." Her sadness is genuine, as is the regret that she still has for not having thought to ask sooner... to help him sooner.

"I'm sorry I didn't help you sooner, but I do have your memories... it's why I collect the teeth. Come with me if you want your memories back." She knows she'll have to do better than a tooth box to fix him, but she doesn't say so. Jack floats cautiously, following Tooth.

"A-alright." He is cautious and ready to bolt if things become too uncomfortable for him. Tooth leads Jack back to her palace, warning her helpers to keep their distance and they reluctantly do so though they chirp happy greetings at him from a distance.

"Uh... who are they?" Baby Tooth is shocked that Jack doesn't recognize her or her little sisters as she flies in his face, chirping happily despite Tooth's warning. Jack swats her away gently.

"Personal space would be nice." Tooth mentally chides Baby Tooth for her disobedience, Baby Tooth chirps sadly and flies off as told to do.

"Sorry, they're a little... enthusiastic at times. They help me collect the teeth." Tooth has a relic... one of five... its power would be more than enough to restore Jack's memories... but only her fellow Guardians know that she has it... North has one as well, as does Bunny. Each is different; this one was a gift left to her by her parents. She kept it hidden for good reason. It is the only tooth case that Pitch couldn't steal when he'd busted in because he didn't know it even existed.


	16. Day of Rebirth

"This will take me a moment, I need to find it so give me a second okay?" She waits for affirmation as she wants to make sure Jack wouldn't bolt on her. Jack stares off in awe at the little fairies at work and how the Tooth Palace works; he's grown curious and wanders off throughout the palace, giggling and freezing the water by the emblem of the Tooth Fairy and children as he watches teeth float cleanly down a river where fairies pick them up and take off with the newly cleaned teeth.

"Whoa..." Seeing that Jack is fascinated and not likely to bolt, she zips off to the hiding place of the very special tooth case. The moment Jack touches it everything would be okay. It is infused with power from the moon and for good reason. She comes back with the wooden cylinder.

"This is a very special kind of box, I promise that as soon as you touch it you'll remember everything." What makes the box special isn't that it is wood or a cylinder, but that inside of it, embedded with the magic of the moon, is a baby tooth from Manny. It is what gave her the power to be the Tooth Fairy and it would only enhance her power to fix Jack's memories once he touched it. Jack looks at it curiously, unsure; he stops seconds from touching it as his eyes narrow in uncertainty.

"Are you sure it holds my memories when I touch it?"

"I know it seems fishy, but I know that when you touch it you will regain the memories you've lost. I am certain. I know every container here Jack. It's my job to know these things." He looks at her, still cautious, then at the fairies nearby and then back to the box. He takes a deep breath before touching the wooden cylinder. As soon as Jack touches it, everything goes dark around him for a split second before Tooth's power takes hold and everything comes rushing back... starting with that fateful Easter, meeting the other Guardians... then Jamie... the battle with Pitch... becoming a Guardian... meeting Mysterie as an adult... the battles against Shadow and Jakoul... against fire spirits... Mother Nature... the Nature Court... the decision to have children... finally the trouble with the latest spirit who had sought to destroy what life Jack had built all out his own revenge... Jack cries out as the final memory returns to him, he collapses, shivering and shaking his head.

"Mysterie..." He looks up, then around and then he hugs Tooth super tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tooth smiles.

"Any time sweet tooth." Jack flies back to the castle at super sonic speeds, freaking out a pilot who was watching his radar screen, surprised that anything could more faster than his jet and had flown past him like an invisible vortex of air. Jack opens the door to the nursery and pulls everyone around him into a hug.

"Oh God I'm so sorry guys! I love you so much and I remember now!!" The children cling to Jack happily, Mysterie smiles though she's still shaken from the encounter from earlier while Jamie just grins, as does Andrew who had been reading with Brianna up until that moment. Jack kisses Mysterie and Jamie both passionately before kissing the top of his children's heads.

 

 

"Oh, how are my little munchkins today?" Jamie is caught off guard, reeling a little while Mysterie just smiles; the children giggle happily, happy to have their daddy back. Jack laughs happily, making it snow light and seeing if they can mimic a snowflake as he slowly teaches them, but it appears that only Randy is getting the hang of it while Luke doesn't have the power to try, Brianna struggles with it while Noah just watches silently. Noah watches the snowflakes silently for the longest time but then he does something remarkable... He makes one of the snowflakes but it's big enough for him to hold onto like it's a stuffed snowflake. Mysterie can't help but grin with pride.

"Very good Noah." He just smiles while the other giggle and clap at their brother's oversized snowflake. Jack smiles brightly.

"It's perfect." Jack slowly makes the same snowflake, watching as Brianna and Randy try to make theirs like Noah's but they just can't quite get it. Luke watches his siblings with a mix of wonder and slight envy. Jack looks at Luke and ruffles his hair.

"I know buddy, but you can't control it." Luke pouts a little, hugging Jack who smiles and makes him a squishy, stuffy-like snowflake. Luke hugs the snowflake while Mysterie watches the others closely. Jack smiles happily, looking at her he moves over to her after a moment and kisses her passionately while the kids scrunch up their faces.

"Ew yucky!!" They all say in unison while Jack chuckles before letting her go and breaking the kiss. Mysterie chuckles as well, slipping an arm around him; Jamie chuckles even as he sees Randy yawn.

"Okay munchkins, time for a nap and then when you wake up you can have your snack." He picks up Randy and Brianna. Jack picks up Luke again and Noah, setting them in their cribs. Jack stretches, cracking his back with a resounding pop; he looks out a nearby window in the hallway and smirks at Jamie and Mysterie.

"Awww, it's snowing without me doing it. That means it's close to the day of my birth." Mysterie blinks.

"I forgot it did that."

"Wait... that's possible?" Jamie asks as he's a little baffled it can do that. Jack sighs.

"Only every few years will it do that until my birthday of my rebirth; looks like my re-birthday's coming up soon." Mysterie nods, thoughtful.

"I guess you were still human the last time it happened." She says, glancing at Jamie.

"Musta been..." Jack nods.

"Yeah, it w-was snowing when I feel in. Must have." Jack says nervously as he leaves it occurs to Mysterie that he sometimes wishes he had never been reborn.

 

 

Mysterie sighs inwardly, knowing the feeling and understanding but she leaves him to be on his own for a little while, in the meantime she talks to Jamie about the snowfall. Jack looks up at the moon from one of the many balconies, he then glares down at the snow angrily but realizes there is no use at being mad; he had been reborn and there was nothing he could do about it, which is why he hated celebrating his birthdays. The Guardians had tried once and it had been a disaster as he'd left immediately, having said clearly: "I don't do birthdays and if you ever do one for me again I promise you it won't be pretty." 

Looking back, he knows it was kind of a rude threat but he really disliked that day as it only brought back painful memories of things he'll never get back. Mysterie had always wanted to celebrate a birthday with Jack, but nothing had really allowed them a chance. Jamie, upon hearing this, decided to begin planning a simple get-together. Jack floats in the air, seeing where the wind would take him, she took him as far as Moscow. He sighs and looks down at all the lights in the city, all the happy families and children playing with their siblings, sisters in particular. Jack glares and as a smiling shaped snowflake falls on him he crushes it into pieces before looking at the moon.

"Don't think I forgive you for any of this, not even after all that has happened MiM; don't think for a second I will enjoy my rebirth." The wind tries to comfort Jack as best as she can. Jack glares at the moon before looking away, now he lays back in the wind's embrace, staring at the stars.

" 'Cause I can never have, what I once had, back." The whispers of the wind gently remind Jack that if he hadn't that he wouldn't have what he does. Jack turns.

"I know, but none of it's gonna bring her back." He says, growling; the moon knows how much hatred has grown against him from ignoring him those years only to realize the reason Jack hates his birthday is that it was the day he found out that he was invisible, alone, un-believed in. The wind seems to be gently chiding Jack for dwelling only on something that can't be changed rather than celebrating what he has. Jack snaps at the wind, how she can't understand because she is simply air, oxygen; she couldn't even know what it is like to lose a family. After a moment he realizes what he's said and apologies, asking the wind to drop him off back at the castle. The wind chides him gently, saying that she knows; she's had many children that she's carried with her that are no longer spirits as she drops Jack back at the castle. He feels frustrated, he always grew frustrated around these days as it meant he would grow another year and his family couldn't because they were dead; a life wasted on himself... it was what he thought every time. He huffs, apologizing once more to the wind before walking back into the castle. Mysterie and Jamie are nowhere to be seen, Andrew is minding the children while Mysterie talks with Jamie who is curious now about the mood he senses from Jack. Jack looks around then settles on asking Andrew where they both were.

"Hey, were'd Mysterie and Jamie go?" He asks curiously, but inside he feels like he's dying; feels like he shouldn't be alive. It only happens around his birthday that memories of his failure pushed the most on his mind, but success was there as well, the two ran circles in his head. Two voices, one that talked about all his failures while the other spoke of what he had, of his family, the children, his wife and husband who were happy, healthy and that he should be proud of them. Andrew shrugs.

"They're around here somewhere. I think Jamie had some questions for her." Jack nods.

"Questions about what?" He looks at the other winter spirit, curious, his heart pounds hard in his chest as he hopes the boy doesn't ask him about his birthday.

"The snow ... I think. I asked her about it too." 


	17. Rebirth Day

Andrew's answer hurt him like a kick to the gut and it almost had him doubling over; he went upstairs immediately. Andrew winces at the sense of pain he gets from Jack; he hadn't meant to hurt him. Jack pulls at his hair.

"Maybe if I just sleep all week the day will pass and I won't have to deal with it ever again." He said to himself as he reached one of the rooms. He thought about that for a while, it didn't seem very plausible of a thing to do though and he wasn't sure he really could pull it off.

"Maybe if I hide for the remainder of the week it'll pass and no one will bother me." Mysterie winces a little, noticing Jack's mood has soured.

"I don't know what he'd think." She replies to Jamie's latest question.

"Well, I can't say I've ever told him. I mean, I've meant to for a while. I don't know that he ever put it together honestly... I'd think he'd want to know." Jack sniffs as he lays on the bed, unaware of Mysterie and Jamie's conversation, but Andrew seems really worried and sends across the bond to Jack a sense of being sorry.

 _I'm fine Andrew. Don't worry about it, I'm just tired._ It's obviously a lie and Andrew didn't buy it, but he doesn't pry either as he doesn't think it's his place to. Jack smiles a little to himself, it's dinner time now and he has yet to come down and make dinner as usual. Everyone comes to dinner but Jamie, he seems to be missing from the group; Jack sighs when he realizes it's dinner time and he sighs. He forces himself up, despite wanting to hide he wasn't going to just let his family starve either. Andrew helps Mysterie in the kitchen as she makes one of Jack's favorite dishes while her sand settles Randy in his high chair. Jamie is in the library, going through books and muttering to himself. Jack sighs tiredly as he sees the group in the dinning room before going into the kitchen.

"Where's Jamie?" Uncertainty threads through his tone.

"Hey hun, have a seat. Jamie's in the library." Jack nods.

"Okay then." He looks around the kitchen cautiously, his heart pounding like a drum as he leaves. Jamie, meanwhile, flips through several book titles, putting each of them back after reading them.

"Where did I put that...." He mumbles to himself. Jack settles into the dinning room and eats the meal, unsure, but the kids keep grinning at him; it weirds him out. They had heard that he had a birthday over the bond and now had presents being made. Mysterie makes sure the children eat instead of playing with their food.

"Finally!" Jamie says happily as he picks up a book that has no particular title on it. Jack, meanwhile, sighs as he helps Noah with his bib; eating slowly himself as his eyes flicker every which way in uncertainty. 

 

 

"Something up?" Mysterie asks after a while, having noticed his uneasiness. Jack shakes his head.

"Nothing, just really good chicken." He replies after a few moments and she smiles a little.

"Glad you like it. Andrew was a big help in watching it while I settled the children." Jack nods.

"It's great." He plasters on a fake smile, trying to seem happy for the children's sake as he cleans his plate and then helps settle the children down for their naps before he heads back to his own room to sleep. Jamie takes the book to his room, muttering to himself while Mysterie watches over the children, a little worried because she knows the reason for Jack's mood and she wishes she could help. Jack sleeps in tears that night before falling into a more restless, unhappy sleep. Mysterie sighs a little, wishing to do something but not sure what she can do. Jack wakes the next morning, he notices the snow that starts, flowers fall and then snow comes right after to kill the sudden fall of flowers and leaves, which means the day before his birthday; which was tomorrow. The next morning the children are kept busy by Tooth, Baby Tooth and some of her sisters; Jack is shocked to see Tooth and wonders if the kids had played punch or something and lost some teeth, but the truth was that she was just there visiting. He sighs tiredly to himself as he sees the beginning of the start of the rebirth; the leaves and flowers fall, later the snow would come freeze over the dead flowers. He glares at the little petals, never had Jamie felt such anger, resentment or self hate slam into the bond before... and all of it coming from Jack. Jamie winces, hoping that what he has in mind won't make things worse... Jack sits down on a window seat, staring out of it and he starts to nod off in his anger; when he falls asleep his memories are waiting for him and he winces, shaking as he fights them at first until he realizes it's futile as this happens every year and he can't escape them. Jamie works tirelessly, piecing together everything that he can... wincing a little at what he feels over the bond. He hoped this wouldn't be a mistake... Jack jolts awake from his nightmare of memories, he holds his heart in pain as it pounds ridiculously fast; he gulps air like a fish out of water and curls up in a ball, pulling at his hair as he mutters to himself.

"I can't be there for her now..." Mysterie sighs as she settles next to him on the make-shift bed and murmurs quietly as she wraps her arms around him.

"Jack." He shakes his head.

"It's nothing, I'm just not feeling good." He lies even as he groans, his head flashing memories from time to time.

"I know love... you told me once... remember?" She murmurs softly. It had been years ago that she'd pried it out of him... She kept him close even as he shudders and tries to hide under the pillow at the window seat only to hear giggling as the kids had the stuff all wrapped up in their own way with paper and tape everywhere. She sighs a little, hoping that Jack wouldn't reject their gifts as they didn't understand the warning Tooth had given them just that morning; Jack is unaware there are gifts from his kids just as he wants to just forget about the whole thing and end it. Mysterie hopes the next day will be better as she carries him off to a bedroom to rest better and keeps the children out of the room the next day, uncertain how Jack will react and wanting to take Jack to them rather than them just barging into the room. Jack wakes up the following morning, screaming, before he locks himself in his room; it snows the heaviest this day as it is his rebirth day and he wants absolutely no part of it. Mysterie sighs a little, unlocking the door, which is easier to do since she's still in the room and had been all night...

 

 

"Jack, sweetheart..." Jack groans. He didn't want this day to be real, he just didn't want it to be.

"Y-yeah?" He says, sounding less than happy this morning.

"The kids have something for you love. I know today is... rough... but they don't know that and they can't understand it." Jack looks away from her for a moment, sucking in a breath... he'd accept his children's gifts knowing that they love him and only meant the best by it. He nods a little.

"O-okay." He says weakly. Mysterie gently leads him to the lounge where they children are waiting for him with their gifts. Jack takes a deep, strong breath before going into the room and he accepts each gift from them. A paper thing snowflake snow globe from Noah, a picture of him and Brianna as well as the others from Brianna, a teddy bear from Luke and Randy had just given him a card that had been signed by all of them saying that they loved him. Jack loved on each of the children for their gifts, telling them that he loves each even though right then he wanted to just take off and never come back; the feeling permeates the bond, though the children are oblivious to it. Mysterie gently soothes Jack and Jamie winces, sending doubt over the link towards her. Jack sighs tiredly as he smiles in the children's presence but inside he's beating himself down in anger, thinking that he shouldn't even be alive; that he should still be in that lake, drowned and nothing more. He sets the gifts aside as he smiles at the children.

"I love them, thank you." He hugs them all in a big bear hug and leaves the room, about to take off. Jamie intercepts Jack before he can though, finally having come out from the library.

"Jamie. I..." He shakes his head, pushing past him a little to get out the nearby window. Jamie doesn't say anything, but he does wrap his arms around Jack and tugs him into the nearest room, one of the rock rooms that is still empty of anything but a mural and has no window. He isn't going to simply let Jack flee; Jack grunts, when did Jamie get so damn strong? He thinks as he's tugged into the room, he doesn't look at him. He just wants to be gone, he doesn't want to be around on this day; Jamie holds Jack close, debating internally if he should wait until Jack fell asleep or not... Jack groans a little, tired, but accepting the hug as a tear or two wets his face as he slowly starts to pull from Jamie to leave the room; he just wants to flee from there, from his rebirth but he knows he can't because he'll still be there. Jamie keeps Jack in his grasp, despite his internal debate.

"Nope. You're staying here today." He murmur quietly. Jack is shocked at that and struggles.

"LET ME GO!!" He's furious now, how dare he keep him there when he obviously didn't want to be! With a sigh, Jamie murmurs.

"Jack... I found something a few years ago... Something I want to show you. I think you should know about it." Before Jack can struggle further, Jamie's power gently washes over him and the room around them slowly disappears into darkness; almost immediately the darkness is overtaken by a scene of white. 


	18. Jamie's Gift

The scene is one that is familiar to Jack, it's of the pond and the house that he'd lived in when he'd been alive. The door slowly opens and Jack sees his sister, as young as the day he'd last seen her, slip from the house and towards the frozen pond. She's wrapped in a cloak too big for her and something is clutched in her hands, but it's hard to see because of the cloak and the dark of night. Jack stares, he didn't remember this.

"J-jamie what is this? What's going on?"

"Of course you don't, you weren't around to see it." Jamie's voice is soft as he speaks. Jack's sister walks over to the pond and lays a batch of wildflowers at the edge, her young voice seeming to cut into the silence.

"I miss you..." She stares at the pond, quietly crying in the dark of the night. She wipes away the tears before she heads back to the house. The scene seems to repeat itself, but each time it's obvious it's not the same as she grows older with each time that she comes from the house. Then, one day she comes out of a different home altogether and there is a man accompanying her; both of them hold flowers as they move towards the pond. Jack gags.

"S-she visited m-me a-all those years. She had a family... she missed me..." Jack feels tears glisten as he realizes that his sister hadn't forgotten him, that she had visited him, blaming herself for his death.

"Oh God, Emma... I-i... I'm so sorry." He reaches out to the image of his fully grown sister, but being an image, she passes through him with the man and they lay the flowers at the pond. The next time she vista the pond it's obvious that she's pregnant, but she's still visiting with her husband; a soft, female voice seems to speak though she doesn't. It was a page from a journal that Jamie had discovered:

Today marks the anniversary of my dearest brother's departure. I am hoping to have a boy, I want to name him Jack... So that he shall never be forgotten. I wish that he could be here, I still miss him so... I have come to terms with what happened. I was so miserable in my youth, thinking I was the reason for what happened, but now that I'm grown - and thanks to my husband - I have realized it wasn't my fault. There was no way we could have known about the thin ice, even as much as Jack knew... I still feel at times he's watching over me and I hope that, where ever he be now he knows I miss him. 

 

Jack sniffles, tears falling as now he knows the truth; that he shouldn't blame himself and he wishes that she hadn't blamed herself for his death, but hearing the words made his heart flutter hard.

"Emma." It's all he can say before he passes out from the emotional stress and happiness that he finally feels. Jamie keeps Jack close; he'd found more than just that of course, but it could wait. For now he simply holds Jack as he sleeps, carrying him to a room with a bed. Jack wakes up an hour later, it was snowing its hardest now, meaning that it was closer to midnight; the very hour of his rebirth. He coughs, shivering as he feels a new surge of power go through him that meant he was growing older inside, but not on the outside and each time he did he gained knowledge, a new time of wisdom each and every time. Jamie is still in the room with Jack, having settled Jack against him on the bed. His voice is soft.

 

 

"Jack." 

"J-jamie." He looks at him with innocent blue eyes that are wide with the truth and, finally, slight happiness.

"I know now it wasn't my fault or hers, it was fate." He says tiredly as he hugs Jamie tight; Jamie smiles a little.

"Of course it was. I did find more than what you saw though, if you want... it's a little out of order from before, but I still think you have a right to know." Jack nods as he looks at Jamie, sniffling.

"I'd l-like to know more please." The look in his eyes says he needs to know... he has to know... wanted to know. Jamie nods a little and like before his power gently flows over Jack and the room around them fades before the image comes to being. It shows Jack's mother sitting in the front row, crying, but it's happy tears as she stares at her daughter who is dressed in white next to the man who'd been with her at the pond. There's no sound to the wedding, but the impression of an older woman's voice as what Jamie had found was a piece from Jack's mother:

I couldn't be happier. My girl has found happiness; he was scrawny, like my son and I had doubts. Especially since he was only a farmer from the village over, but he's been good for her. Only he seemed to be able to bring her out of her depression since my son passed. The scrawny teen, now a man... I can't wait to see little feet again. She told me she wanted a boy, to name after him. It has a certain ring to it... Jack Bennett... I wish them all the happiness in the world.

 

The scene shifts from the church as the couple kiss. This time she is at the pound, a young boy shyly keeping close to them while an infant is swaddled in her arms as the small family visits the pond again. Showering the edge of it with flowers as she had done since she was a child. Jack nearly crumbles at the scene.

"I only gave them happiness if I c-could then..." He says tiredly and looking at little Jack Bennett he realizes something.

"J-jamie... doesn't that m-mean we're related?!" He sniffs a little, this whole thing was beautiful and he was proud of his sister, only wishing he could have met this John Bennett who had brought his sister happiness for all those years that she was alive. There's a gentle smile in Jamie's tone.

"Yes... distantly." The scene continues to shift through the years. Jack's sister had always come to the pond, even before her final days on earth as an elderly woman, to lay fresh flowers at the pond. The final scene shows five children of varying ages with her and their parents. She had grandchild, a husband and her own children with her on the final visit. Her son, Jack, having helped her to the pond on one side, her husband on the other. One of the young children, a girl, pipes up.

"Grandma... will you tell us about Grandpa Jack again? Please?" She smiles at the young girl.

 

 

"Of course Jacquelyn." The scene fades and the room returns. Jack sniffs, laughing mirthlessly.

"All those years and she still visited me... and they believed me to be watching over them..." He sniffs again before hugging Jamie closely.

"Thank you. T-this is the best births p-present I ever received." Jamie smiles.

"I was hoping you would like it." Jack realizes that today he would celebrate his rebirth, finally, for his sister; to make it an anniversary to her like she had done for him all those years.

"J-jamie... I-i think I'd like to celebrate, for her you know." He looks at him with a smile and pleading eyes. Jamie nods with a smile.

"I think we can manage that. Almost time to eat anyway. Your choice on what to eat." Jack sighs.

"My choice huh?" He thinks a moment before remembering that his sister's favorite dish was apple pie, cheesy bread with goat milk and he decides to eat that... and for the side everyone else could have spaghetti if they didn't want to eat it. Jack tells Jamie about the dish. Amusement ripples along the bond from both Mysterie and Jamie. 

 _I think I can manage that. Anything else?_ Mysterie asks over the bond. Jack sighs, there was one more thing, but he only liked how his mother had made it and he looked down... he missed her too, but today he would be celebrating, not grieving; he'd done quite enough grieving lately.

"Chocolate rhubarb pie." He says gently. Mysterie thinks a moment before nodding over the bond.

 _I'll do what I can. Should be ready in half an hour._  Jack nods.

"Now what am I to do until then?" He says tiredly, he'd never really celebrated his birthday and didn't know how this worked at all really.

"Well, whatever you feel like." Jack sighs sadly.

"But I don't know what I like to do besides snow. I... I never really explored anything else." He says, even more sadly as he looks at Jamie with curious, wide blue eyes.

"Hmmm, well let's try a game then. I know I have a few." He gently leads Jack from the room to another with both a table and a bed.


	19. Moon's Gift

Jack feels slightly trapped, as he always did on his birthday, but Jamie knew it would probably take a hundred or so more birthdays before Jack was used to it. Jamie spends the next half hour distracting Jack with various games, teaching him about card games, board games, even talking about video games while teaching him to play. Jack is interested in the some of the video games that Jamie talks about, it was so sudden and strange, like he knows the controls by heart when Jamie sets him down with some of the video games only to beat most of them in 20 or 10 seconds flat.

"Geez Jack, you're a natural at this!" Jamie is both surprised and delighted. Soon enough though he tugs Jack away from a game he'd nearly beat as Mysterie was calling the two of them over the bond; it was time to eat.

"We can come back to it after we eat." Jack nods.

"Ok." He sets the controller aside after pausing the game, the game's score had been broken by how many points he'd gained so far though every game would hold infinity for gamer glitching problems or, as in Jack's case, the player was just really good and reached that far. Jack can smell all the great food from the hallway, the goats milk and apple pie especially; the pie was the first thing he smelled and everything looked, he noticed when he got to the dinning room, exactly how it had when his mother had made it. Mysterie smiles, having set the children in their chairs before setting out plates and serving helpings to everyone. Jack looks at the food before him and feels like crying, but instead he taps Jamie, Andrew and Mysterie on the shoulder over the bond to get their attention.

"I-i was wondering if we could s-say grace. My mother always said to say grace and my sister t-too." Mysterie nods, Andrew is silent and Jamie simply gave Jack an encouraging smile. Jack sighs, folding his hands and closing his eyes.

"Oh Lord and Savior we thank you for this bountiful meal and thank you for the good cooking of Mysterie," He chuckles a little at that.

"and that I am here, and that my children are here and my family is here. I know my sister would be proud of me even if she isn't here now. I believe she is with us so please thank you for all that I have, amen." Jack sits down then to eat, taking a bite of the cheesy bread first after dipping it into the goat's milk; it was how he liked it and as he nibbled on it he thought to himself.

 _Just like mama made..._ Mysterie curiously tries the dish that she's never had before; Jamie seems to like it well enough though the children are a bit skeptical before trying it themselves with mixed reactions. The boys seem to take to it, trying to dip it in their milk like Jack with funny results since their sippy cups don't allow for that and eventually they figure out that they can get the same effect if they take a bite then a sip of milk. Brianna doesn't take well to the milk, but she likes the bread. Jack smiles happily, he adds some of the jam from the apple pie to a second piece of cheesy bread before he drinks the last of his milk and eats the piece of pie.

"It's absolutely delicious." 

 

 

"Good." Mysterie replies, still trying to figure out what to think of the milk though she does like the pie and the bread. Jack finishes two more pieces of bread before finishing off his apple pie slice. He waits for everyone to finish their apple pie before he slices into the chocolate rhubarb.

"Like my mother always said, one is enough for everything." Jack sighs, taking a bite; he has a flashback immediately of his mother setting down a piece of that pie and suddenly it's like he's a child again. He looks around, dropping his fork as he chews a moment, but he ignores the children's concerned stares. Mysterie smiles a little, quietly reassuring the children that it's okay. Jack sighs, smiling and giggling like a kid.

"It's exactly like when I was a kid." He smiles and eats it slowly, savoring each bite; as the the day would go on he would go back and forth from memories of his life before to the life he has now. Mysterie is just glad that Jack likes it, Jamie spends most of the day with Jack while Andrew helps Mysterie keep the kids entertained. Not long after lunch Jack settles down for a birthday nap and dreams of his current family; Jamie, Mysterie, Andrew and all the kids together with him having a snowball fight with the family he remembered from his life, as if they were alive and real. Jack smiles in his sleep. Jamie smiles a little, ensuring that Jack has good dreams during his nap while he, himself, reads a book. Jack wakes up, yawning kind of adorably before rubbing the sleep from his eyes, not even realizing what time it was. He growls a little as his muscles hurt slightly and that was weird for him to feel so much stress in them as he'd only remembered eating and playing video games earlier. Jamie eases a bit of the pain by rubbing the muscles, chuckling softly.

"Guess I really should have warned you about that before you started playing the video games." Jack grunts.

"What? I barely really moved though." He looks at Jamie, slightly confused.

"You're not used to doing something like that, like with anything you can over use muscles you're not used to using in such a fashion or keeping in one position you're not used to." He replies, soothing the ache in Jack's shoulders and back before soothing the aches along his arms and hands, along his fingers as well. Jack sighs into Jamie, slowly just relishing the relaxing touches as his body is no longer rigid and becomes silly putty to Jamie as he falls back on him.

"Thank you." He chuckles a little, glad he'd had the hindsight to save the hands for last as he continues working on them.

"No problem." Jack winces, his thumbs were the most sore muscles in his hands; he looks outside as the moon seems to have grown closer as if it meant to be right there in the room; the moonlight shines throughout the castle.

"Manny." It's all Jack says, barely breathing for a moment as he feels MiM's energy and power coursing through him for a few minutes before it leaves.

 ** _Happy Birthday_ Jack.** The moonlight fades, Jack looks at the moon in confusion before realizing that the moon has given him power; the strength of 10,000 soldiers from the lunar army and his staff, propped nearby, seems to glow like it too. Jack looks down at his hands.

 

 

"Jamie." He looks at Jamie with uncertainty and lots of questions of why he had all of this power now. Jamie just stares, not sure what to make of it; curiosity ripples along the bond from Mysterie as well, but she's not as surprised. Jack looks up at the moon again in curiosity; he had only one question.

"Why?" It's all he asks the moon as it twinkles in the sky, but while there is no response there is a glimmer of hope. Jack thinks about the possible whys and feels so full of energy, especially as the moonlight falls on him; it looks like he had ethereal constellation wings on his back, but they only appeared when he was in the moon's light. 

 _I imagine it's because you are his son... and this is the first time you have celebrated this in your life. He wanted to do something extra special.... so why not?_ Mysterie replies over the bond after a moment's thought. Jack smiles at that.

"Thanks dad." He whispers out only to feel what is like a warm embrace by the moon. He goes out in search of Mysterie to pull her into the room with him and Jamie for a little alone time. Hours later Jack curls into Jamie, sandwiched between the both of them. Andrew, meanwhile, sees that the children have shut themselves in their respective rooms, just glad that his bond isn't so close to Jack that he could actually sense anything from that room over the bond.... or that he has to listen to it too. He's pretty sure if Jamie hadn't made the rooms soundproof that the children would have been scarred already... along with himself; not to mention them being taught to block the bond during the evenings. He didn't need to hear THAT sort of thing from his adoptive family but that didn't mean he didn't know what went on behind closed doors either; he and the children knew by now but still... While Jack sleeps between them, Mysterie wonders just how she got talked into a threesome... Not that she regrets it she's just.... little confused. Jamie is out like a light as well, she looks over at Jack who looks adorable in his sleep with the constellation wings glistening and the way his skin glows in the soft light of the moon; her eyes are drawn to the various patterns in curious fascination, wondering what it could mean. Curious, she reaches out one hand to one wing, Jack growls a little in his sleep with her fingers brush it, despite its lack of appearing solid, it is as solid as one would expect any other type of wings to be. Though fascinated by the reaction she doesn't touch it again and instead lightly traces one of the constellations; one of the few she's familiar with, Pegasi. As she touches it, it glows a bright purple and the others do the same, but are different colors; like separate colors of the rainbow. The constellation Orion glowed green, Scorpio glowed red, Sagittarius has a yellow glow and Pieces, which is also her zodiac sign, glows blue. Among the constellations she sees what looks like an upside down letter E next to a  J with a dot on it. Curious, she traces one of the other constellations, Sagittarius, as she murmurs its name to herself. It glows yellow and Jack moans in protest as the wings and constellations move as if they are alive with a will of their own. After a moment of watching the constellations move about she decides to trace the upside down E, everything in her vision glows brightly and suddenly she finds herself looking through Jack's eyes, as if through the eyes of a child who was crying. It wasn't Jack exactly, but Jack's reborn spirit, another person altogether nearly... a past life. The child cried and cried, the room was a beautiful, star lit room with baby toys and magic all around. A woman with dark hair and eyes that held many things came into view and Mysterie knew this was Mother Nature. This was the spirit that Jack was to become when he had died in the pond. She watches in a curious fashion at what is being revealed to her, like a treasure trove of memories it seems, within each constellation. Jack grunts in his sleep and the wings and memories disappear as Jack shifts, not wanting to be touched much in his sleep; the last memory to fade from her vision was of MiM himself.

 _ **"I still and always will love you as a son, just you'll be different and you'll be helping** **someone."**_ The child then seemed to turn into a ball of light that flew to into the drowning Jackson; this ball of light, she realizes, is Jack and that his powers came from the moon itself. Not only had Jack been resurrected as another boy but that the ball of light was part of Jackson. This, in her mind, explained the strangeness of many things she'd come across in Jack's mind in the past. 


	20. Getting Advice

Mysterie is thoughtful as the memory fades, muttering softly to herself.

"So that is how you are the moon's son..." Jack sleeps soundly, unaware of the memories that she had seen; it occurs to her that these memories were meant for Jack, perhaps at a later time to show him things that he had forgotten within himself. He was always, of course, Jackson Overland, but now who he was - his life, death and rebirth - was being lived as Jack. Mysterie yawns a little, still pondering what it is she has seen as she drifts to sleep. Jack awakes the next morning, happy but slightly tired; he looks over at them both and he grins to himself.

 _Sweet, I really did do a threesome._ He thinks to himself.

 _Yeah... and I'm still wondering how I got talked into it._ Mysterie says over the bond with sleepy amusement; Jamie is still out like a light. Jack slides out of bed, rolling over Jamie in the process; Jamie lets out a bit of a pained breath when Jack accidentally elbows him in the stomach on his way over him... thankfully that was ALL he'd done.

"Well for one I think it was my blue eyes that pulled you in and kissing... and then maybe a little more than kissing." He snickers as he goes in search of his hoodie and pants; his constellation wings grow with his mood; they had been smaller, and when he'd been asleep they'd been tiny and almost unrecognizable but now they are large and seem to hold all of the night sky. Mysterie chuckles.

"Must be your charming personality." She points to the pile of clothes that is a jumble of his and Jamie's while she reconstructs her own from her sand. Jack slips on his hoodie only to feel a tingling sensation in his arms and realizes that the wings have retreated inside of him, just beneath this skin were the symbols.

"Uh, are these going to be permanent additions to my skin?" He asks as he pulls up one sleeve to show her the constellation symbols. She looks at him, thoughtful.

"Probably... you  **are** his son after all... I would not be surprised. Though I don't see a problems with that, not like they're anywhere you tend to show off on a regular basis." Jack nods and slowly stretches his body a little after finishing dressing. He walks down stairs, there are still more memories locked away in the constellations; something that Mysterie had worked out and while she is curious about what MiM has done and the memories as well as why they are locked away, Jack isn't ready to learn who he truly is yet. Curious, Mysterie decides that the only one who might provide answers is Mother Nature... since MiM wasn't going to tell her and she as heck wasn't going to spend all of her time trying to convince Jack that she was learning his history by playing around with his new "tattoos." Jack sighs tiredly as he sits at the table, he eats about half a week's worth of cereal in one setting; apparently with these new powers came a new attitude and appetite as well. Mysterie raises an eyebrow at that, having followed Jack to the kitchen to get herself a glass of milk.

"Hungry much?" Jack finishes the entire box by the time she's reached the table. Andrew comes in with the kids and Jack starts cooking for them, but Luke is upset to find that his favorite cereal has been all eaten up. Jack shakes his head at Mysterie's question.

 

 

"I don't know, I just feel so hungry." Mysterie realizes they should probably see Mother Nature about this for sure, as well as get her questions answered about Jack, MiM and Mother Nature. Jack should know where he comes from by now. Andrew, reassures Luke that there will be more, but that this morning there would be something else to eat; he's completely curious at this new change in Jack, oblivious to what's happened. Jack seems to have a new attitude, he came off as a person who does things but doesn't seem to care much; as well as being smart.

"Andrew, would you mind entertaining the kids today? I think I need to have a talk with a certain spirit." Andrew shrugs a little.

"Yeah, just not all day today. I have other things I need to do."

"I should be back before lunch." The four roll their eyes, they aren't children anymore, but sometimes they feel like they still are.

"Alright." Mysterie gives Jack a loving kiss on the lips before she leaves, vanishing into sand; she'd worry about eating later... Jamie is up now and getting dressed. He heads the room to head to the kitchen, unaware of the changes. Jack blushes a little from the kiss as the kids giggle and make kissy faces just like little children.

"Shush it you little gremlins I call children." Jack says, lifting his spatula threateningly, as if he could cow the now-grown spirits with it, before they snicker and wait for breakfast to be done. Jack is making them pancakes shaped like various animals. Andrew snickers along with them, all of them thinking it's hilarious that Jack would blush over just a kiss like some school girl who'd never been kissed before. Jamie wanders into the kitchen, wondering what they all think is so funny... Jack hides his face before Jamie notices and yells at the five.

"Shut up!" He says, annoyed.

"Or no pancakes with chocolate chips and bacon gravy biscuits for any of you!" Jack threatens.

"Wha? How'd I get dragged into this?" Jamie just looks confused, the children quiet down as does Andrew... but only he manages to stop grinning. One would think the grown four were a bunch of teenagers, though they no longer looked it they obviously still had their father's mischievous side. Jack eyes the group and before he knew it Jamie could see his blushing cheeks; Jack scoops up a giraffe, tiger, monkey and a crocodile and sets them before the children while he hands Jamie and Andrew their breakfast of biscuits before eating his chocolate chip waffle with nothing topping it. Andrew coughs into one hand to keep from laughing again while Jamie just gives Jack a quizzical look even as he thanks him for the breakfast and sits down to eat. The children eat, giggling quietly between bites and trying to look innocent. Jack glares at the four before leaving the room to tend to snow duties, unaware of the conversation that was currently going on between Mother Nature and Mysterie.... Mysterie arrives at the Nature Palace, waving a little at the seasonals who take the time to wave at her; though it's a little weird to them to have a sand hand pop out of a sand stream to wave back... she doesn't reform until she's found where Mother Nature is.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I believe there is something we need to talk about. Concerning Jack." Mother Nature is busy teaching a couple of young birds to fly as Mysterie reforms near her.

"There we go now, easy does it." The little chick is now flying and twittering happily to Mother Nature before she turns to Mysterie.

 

 

"Why hello dear, what is it about Jack you wanted to speak about?" She looks worried, like any true mother to a child.

"Well, apparently MiM decide to give Jack a gift last night, that included some... changes. He's covered in constellations and now he has these wings... What I'd like to know is what it means before Jamie starts worrying about it." Mother Nature's eyes go wide.

"He freed Jack." She slowly collapses into a chair created of wood that had sprung up. She slowly explains that he has basically freed Jack's moon soul and that now Jack would probably change drastically and act more like he was on the the moon than himself; not to mention having the strength of over 10,000 soldiers plus some of MiM's nature.

"MANNY! GOSH WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU...!!" She yells angrily then pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Dear, whatever you do don't let Jack out. Don't let the moon soul be free; the problem with it is he's more born to be a soldier, a ruler, and a tyrant at that. You must close it, he can't see his memories; he can't wield the power yet." She glares up at MiM who seems to faintly glow in the daylight as if to say "sorry."

"Exactly how am I supposed to do that? I can't exactly lock him up either... he'd probably destroy half the castle trying to break loose... I did see some of the memories when I traced a constellation... well, one of. What am I supposed to do? I could barely rival his power as he WAS..." She groans, managing to keep it from the bond as well as the fact that she's deeply concerned now. Mother Nature sighs tiredly.

"Promise me something, Mysterie. With this power comes great responsibility. I will embed you with power to help you seal Jack away, but it wouldn't be easy as he's free. I cannot guarantee anything, he is royally pissed at MiM for doing that to him, making him dormant inside Jackson." A light, full of power, engulfs Mysterie and she can feel everything around her suddenly; even the planet itself, but she was able to turn off this feeling at will.

"Seal him away, Jack is not ready to be free yet." Mysterie nods.

"I promise. I know that saying quite well... I will do what I have to... but I do not think that Jack will be pleased with me for it." Mother Nature covers her head.

"He was a troubled child in the beginning and never listened to me, always Manny this, Manny that... He's a great father. Total daddy's boy he was." She snickers with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Be warned, when you do seal him, hold onto those memories. They are a gift to Jackson and Jack later, when they turn the age of 400." Back at the castle, Jamie is helping mind the kids while Jack giggles at the most horrific and terrifying movies that normally he hid from, but not now. He is also eating vanilla cookies; he hated regular vanilla cookies and was only into chocolate and here he is scarfing them down like they are chocolate instead of vanilla. The changes concern the four children, who know something is up. 


End file.
